Solace
by AllOverTheWorld
Summary: Calleigh's ballistics lab is her sanctuary, she takes comfort in the Colts, Sauers, AK's and countless other weapons. What happenes when her lab no longer prvides what it once did? Where can she go? Who can she turn to? CHAPTER THIRTEEN IS UP!
1. Blast From Her Past

**Title: Solace **

**Author: AllOverTheWorld **

**Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh**

**Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to? **

**Authors Notes: Before I get started here I just want to say that yes I am still working on Anatomy of a Broken Soul but I've recently become obsessed with CSI: Miami. Also this is my first fic here so **_**please **_**let me know if anything I write is to out of character or just doesn't seem right. I will reply to all reviews! **

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Calleigh Duquesne felt the cold barrel of the gun against the exposed nape of her neck seconds after she realized that she was no longer alone in the lab. Initially she assumed it was some sort of prank but then she heard that voice. The voice that dredged up flashbacks filled with terror and pain. Flashbacks that took her back to her teenage years, when she wasn't as strong and confident as she was now and that made it so easy for her to understand Natalia's pain and fear back when she was dealing with Nick.

"Miss me Calleigh?"

His voice was sweet but it was unmistakably laced with venom, venom that she felt as he pushed the barrel of the gun hard into her neck "Come on Calleigh. I know that you missed me. You missed how I could make you feel." He was smiling, she could tell by his voice and the fact that he obviously loved every second of this.

"If you count making feel scared and alone as a good thing, then yes, I did miss that, though working here can do a good job of that sometimes." Calleigh said trying to keep her voice steady and calm as she reached for her gun. As her shaking hand reached the holster at her side, her blood froze as her hand touched an empty holster. She cursed her self for allowing her gun to be stolen and not getting a replacement. She was weaponless against her angry ex-boyfriend from thirteen years ago.

"Lies," He hissed "I remember when you would moan my name, begging me to come home so we could have some fun."

Calleigh swallowed "If you're here to shoot me Gunnar just do it already."

"I don't think so Calleigh. You see, I've been waiting thirteen years to do this and let me tell you it feels good to be the one holding the gun." He said and as he said this his unarmed hand snaked across her abdomen and towards the button of her pants.

Squirming slightly Calleigh desperately looked around at the empty table for anything that could be used as a weapon. Just her luck that the only things on the table was multiple forms from the IAB about her stolen weapon and a pen "How long do you think you are going to be able to stand here with a gun to my head? You're in a lab filled with armed guard and cops."

"And rightfully I would be worried if this was the day shift but lucky for me this is the night shift. Only about a dozen trigger happy pigs here plus or minus a few unarmed lab techs." He said and his hand undid the button.

Closing her eyes Calleigh took a deep breath and said a silent prayer as she prepared for her only self defense. Just as his hand was about to dip below the waist line of her pants she brought her elbow back in a vicious kidney punch and at the same time ducked her head and threw herself to the right. A shot was fired as Gunnar's finger jumped on the trigger but it missed Calliegh, who was now scrambling to a weapons locker.

Cursing herself for being so damn meticulous Calliegh knew it was impossible for her to open a locker and get a weapon before Gunnar shot at her again. Changing her mind she aimed to get behind the table but she was to slow. She felt his hand close around her ankle and pull her back towards him with haste, knowing he had only seconds left. As Gunnar Matthews effortlessly spun Calleigh around she found herself looking into his dark green eyes for the first time in thirteen years. It was her last hope, and a desperate move at that, but even as she saw his finger close back on the trigger she aimed a hard kick at his shin with her high heeled foot.

He jerked slightly and shouted in anger but didn't release her ankle and as she tried to wriggle out of his powerful grasp two shots fired simultaneously. Calleigh had closed her eyes, bracing for the pain that never came as the shots were fired. She felt the vice-like grip around her ankle slack slightly and she pulled back and out of his grasp.

Her eyes flew open and she saw Gunnar, laying, face up on the ground a red stain quickly spreading from a gun shot to his side. However she was to far gone to comprehend that. Instinctively she lunged for his weapon and gripped it tightly in her hand, pointing the shaking barrel at his chest.

Tears rolled down her face as she still felt the gun pressed to her neck, the tickle of his breath on her back and the feeling of his hand reaching across her abdomen. Someone was saying her name but she couldn't really hear who it was until she felt an arm around her shoulders and Horatio's voice saying "Calleigh, sweetheart, it's over."

His voice was as calm and reassuring as ever and as his hands covered her own, she relinquished the weapon to him, glad to have it out of her own possession. He handed it off to somebody before sitting down next to Calleigh, who was now pressed up against one of the metal grates protecting various firearms.

It was now as she calmed down ever so slightly that she realized she was shaking and all of the scars he had caused her seemed to burn as she looked at his lifeless form. Looking away from him Calleigh closed her eyes but opened them again as his snarling face loomed behind her eyelids. Horatio gently pulled her into the comfort and safety of his body "Calleigh" he whispered, his voice replacing Gunner's and his gentle grasp cooled her 'burning' scars "Calleigh" he repeated and she looked at him, the tears that had begun falling now stopped by some will to appear as strong as she knew was perceived "Can you tell me who that man is?"

She nodded and said "Gunnar Matthews."

"Can you tell me why he tried to kill you?" Horatio's voice was accusatory or suspicious he simply was trying to get the facts.

God. She really didn't want to do this; just the thought of having to tell someone (even if it was Horatio) made her cringe. For so long Calleigh had managed to keep most of her past a secret and if not for this incident no one at CSI would have to know but now _he _had returned, perhaps her darkest and ugliest secret. Fresh tears sprung to her eyes and for a moment she felt foolish: she was Calleigh Duquesne for crying out loud, badass ballistics expert and a damn good shot with just about any gun. How could one man reduce her to a shaking, crying mess on the floor of her own lab?

Then, of course, she remembered that she had not always been so strong. Granted, she had known what she wanted and rarely, if ever, let someone stand in her way but Gunnar had forced her to build up the barriers around herself. He had broken her willingness to trust people as freely as she once had. For three years she had allowed herself to be abused and controlled but the night she pulled her fathers gun on him had been the last night that Calleigh ever let a man do that to her.

The sounds of footsteps and whispers dragged Calleigh out of her thoughts and back to the cold, hard floor of her lab. She looked up and saw most of the night shift looking in on the scene:

_One dead man lying on the floor. _

_An ever growing pool of blood. _

_And Calleigh sitting on the floor, shaking with Horatio's arm wrapped protectively around her. _

Deciding that, in Calleigh's best interests, his team should handle this case Horatio pulled out his phone and called Eric Delko "Eric" he said "I need you to get everyone to the lab as soon as possible, there's been an incident and I want you guys to handle it."

Calleigh listened as Eric no doubt asked what had happened and she hoped that Horatio would just tell him to do as he asked "I'll explain when you all get here." He said hung up, turning back to Calleigh "Sweetheart, I need you to tell me why that man tried to kill you."

She nodded, understanding but not quite ready to expose herself like that.

Giving her another moment Horatio said "I have to deal with the night shift very quickly and then call Frank but then I'm going to need you to tell me, okay?"

As much as she didn't want him to go she needed a minute to collect herself so she nodded again. Horatio stood up and walked over to the senior night shift guard "I need you to call Frank Tripp and explain that we have situation down at the lab. Tell him I have it under control but it's best that he gets down here relatively soon."

Turning to another two guards he said "I need you one of you to mark of a perimeter and the other to get me all the security tapes for the past week."

All three men nodded and disappeared down the hallway to do as Horatio asked, then to the rest of the crowd he said "This situation is under control, you guys can get back to work now."

Watching for a moment as the crowd dispersed, he then turned back to Calleigh and saw that she was still shaking and he knew it wasn't from the air conditioning. He slipped off his jacket and walked back over to her and draped it over her shoulders and once again sat down next to her. While she was still shaking she seemed much more composed than she had a few minutes ago.

As he sat down she turned to him and began talking, without prompting "Sixteen years ago I met Gunnar. He was charming and we hit it off, little did I know the monster he really was. Nevertheless three years later I sent him to prison. He got twelve years and I assume got out recently. The last thing he said to me before he went to prison was that he would get revenge."

Horatio knew she was skirting the details but granted the circumstances and the fact she _never_ talked about her past he let it slide, for now. He knew that there was something beyond what she had just told him between the blond CSI and the dead man on the floor but it would have to wait as he heard Eric start to say "Horatio I got hold of everyone except-" but then broke off as he saw the ballistics lab "Calleigh." He said and started to rush over to her.

She jumped, involuntarily, but she still flinched at the sound of her name being called. Eric saw this and was about to ask when Natalia, Ryan and Walter arrived behind him. They all said something along the lines of: what happened here but they all went silent as they saw Calleigh sitting on the floor. Horatio stood up and walked over to them "I need all of you to start processing the scene, as you normally would." He paused and seeing the questioning looks on all of their faces he added "I will explain everything in a minute" he was interrupted by Frank Tripp's voice.

"Horatio, what the hell is going on? I've just heard that you shot someone who tried to shoot Calleigh?"

Horatio sighed, looked at Natalia and "Can you get Calleigh out of there and into the break room? I'll be there in a minute." She nodded and he turned to Frank "Yes, I did shoot a man by the name of Gunnar Matthews, who fired a shot at Calleigh."

"Is he dead?" Frank asked

"Yes."

"Jesus. IAB is going to need to be informed and lucky for everyone the new security tapes in that lab will explain everything. I assume that your team will process the scene and I don't need to tell you that I'm going to need a report from both you and Calleigh and anyway what were you doing here?"

Horatio nodded "I was walking to my car when I realized I left something back in here. I came in to get it when I heard a shot fired. The gun Gunnar had is the same gun that was stolen from her car this morning at the crime scene across town."

Surprise flickered across Franks' face "Do you think he stole it?"

"At this point we don't know anything besides he and Calleigh have a history."

"What kind of history?" Frank asked

"She wouldn't tell me the details but she did send him to prison for twelve years." Horatio answered, deliberately avoiding telling Frank his thoughts.

"Well that's enough to make anyone want revenge."

"That" Horatio said as he turned to go to the break room "Is an understatement."

* * *

**Well? **

**Thoughts? Opinions? **

**If the thought of Calleigh being in an abusive relationship is to far- fetched for anyone (or in an episode I have not yet seen they declare she never has been) then I apologize for my newbieness. **

**Question for the chapter: **

**When someone starts talking about CSI: Miami what episode comes to mind? This can just be a description of the episode or something that happened. **


	2. Out of the box? She thinks otherwise

**Title: Solace **

**Author: AllOverTheWorld **

**Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh**

**Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to? **

**Authors Notes: Thank you to zzsydneyzz, lusiana88, ajay1960, Pinkyster and littlehappyrock all of who reviewed my first chapter! Quick warning for this chapter: hints to abuse. **

**Enjoy!**

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As Horatio entered the break room he instantly noticed a change in Calleigh's behavior. She was no longer crying or shaking and she was sitting tall in the chair. Sighing inwardly he knew that this could only mean that Calleigh was trying to hide her true emotions from everyone (herself included) and still come off as the strong willed ballistics expert. The internalization would only lead to a massive breakdown, _probably, _Horatio thought grimly, _when she is alone_.

He knew why he was bothered like he was about Calleigh not freely expressing her emotions and why he was sure she would have an emotional and mental breakdown. It was, he told himself, because they were coworkers and he cared deeply about everyone he worked with. Although Calleigh and Horatio were different, he knew that and she knew that. They had worked together for a number of years and seen each other (not always knowingly or intentionally) through the worst of times. What he couldn't quite reason out was why he didn't want her to break down _alone_.

Of course, like any good person, he had multiple reasons for this but none that seemed to fit. In his own opinion they seemed more like excuses for something bigger, something that was eluding him as of right now. Some of these were actually quite logical: the foremost being that Calleigh's house was perhaps the best armed house in Miami, giving her multiple, painless and effective ways to end the pain that he knew she was feeling. Another, less prominent one was that was his best ballistics expert and having a complete breakdown with no one there would affect how she worked. (The latter reason, he concluded was utter bullshit but nevertheless it was a reason)

Natalia looked up as he entered the room and seemed almost relieved that he had come and it wasn't hard to figure out why. Knowing Calleigh she had probably shrugged off all attempts of comfort from the young CSI and Natalia no doubt felt awkward because she wanted to know more but knew better than to push Calleigh for information. As she walked out Horatio muttered his thanks before turning his full attention to Calleigh.

She was sitting a little too straight in her chair and just by looking in her eyes he could see that her heart was still racing. Also, he noted, she had jumped ever so slightly as he had pulled open the door. A detail he knew she was sure that he had missed. Deciding that taking a seat on the sofa opposite the chair she was currently residing was probably his safest option Horatio sat down. A silence lapsed between the two colleagues as Horatio studied Calleigh for a moment, gauging best how to handle this. It was crucial that he know the past between Matthews and Calleigh but at the same time it was painfully obvious that she didn't want to talk about it.

To his surprise, at yet it wasn't so surprising, Calleigh initiated the conversation "I met Gunnar when I was seventeen, he was eighteen at the time but I didn't care."

Horatio nodded but internally he knew that this was yet another bad sign. Calleigh was speaking in a flat voice and was allowing no emotion into her words, however he didn't say anything. At this point Horatio just wanted to know what Matthews had done to reduce Calleigh to a shaking, crying mess in her own lab.

"Basically the three years we dated he beat the shit out of me on a daily basis. In the end I took my fathers gun and when he started to attack me I pulled it out. Let's just say he wasn't too pleased when he got sentenced to twelve years in prison, thanks to a few priors."

Horatio suspected, more like he knew, there was more to that story than she was telling him this was not the time to push her for details. It was clear that she wasn't letting her walls down for anyone, not even him. Also, that was all he needed to write his report on the incident because he could pull Gunnar Matthews' rap sheet and other records from the database, no need to stress Calleigh out anymore.

They lapsed into another silence this one Horatio took the liberty to break before she got to comfortable in her thoughts, the last thing he wanted to do was make her jump again "Frank wants a report by tomorrow, if you feel up to it." He said quietly

Her green eyes flashed and she said, somewhat angrily "Of course I'm up to it. What? I've gotten shot at before, what makes you think this time is any different?"

_Well_ Horatio thought to himself _For starts Matthews broke into your lab and tried to shoot you. Not to mention the history the two of you have_. Knowing it was beyond unwise to voice his real thoughts at this particular moment he instead said "Calleigh" he started and their eyes met as she listened to what he had to say "I know from experience that no matter how many times you get shot at you never quite get used to it. I was simply offering you the chance to recover a little before having to relive the moment."

She shook her head, rejecting his reasoning "I'll be fine."

_Lies._ They both knew that what she had just said was a lie but neither on acknowledged it, at least not at in the present.

"I'll write up my report for Frank and the IAB then I'm going home."

Horatio, rather desperately, wanted to say 'Let me come with you' but again, this was not the time to try and comfort her. She would only take it as an insult and throw up more walls between herself and the outside world. "Okay." He said and stood up "I'll be downstairs." _If you need me _he added mentally

"Okay." It was a simple farewell, needed no explanation or showing of emotion and to be honest Calleigh wasn't quite sure how long she could hold up this 'tough girl' persona.

Horatio rose and silently exited to break room.

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**SNAP **

Natalia peered down at the picture she had just taken, checking that everything was in focus, before looking back into the tiny window. Framed in that window was the face of a dead man, not her first by any means but her first one in the ballistics lab. He had golden brown hair that was up in the classic 'bad boy' spikes, in a not so desperate attempt to look tough. His eyes, still open (even in death) were a shining shade of emerald green. They had a familiar sparkle that took Natalia a moment to place but then, even if it was an assumption, she understood why Calleigh was acting as she had.

He had the perfect face and the perfect eyes to attract the attention of any girl in any bar he walked into. Shame it had to be Calleigh who fell into his trap. Natalia knew how it had been for Calleigh, whenever their relationship had been, because she had been through the same thing herself. At first he seemed like the perfect guy, charming and attractive and he did quirky romantic things that made you fall even more in love with him. This would all last for a few months but then, one night; it would be like a switch had been flipped.

He might have been drunk or he might not have been, when it first happened. In her experience the first few incidents happened while he was drunk, therefore he had the perfect excuse. It would be a slap or a rough shove into a wall, nothing major. She would temporarily be in shock and, knowing Calleigh, she probably fought back, which only proved to further agitate him.

Then the incidents would become more and more frequent and as they did the marks he left would last longer than those of the time before. Soon she would be trapped in the constant cycle of abuse, apologies, abuse, apologies. It was endless. There would be moments when they would act like they had but most of the time she was creeping around, fearing the next attack.

This could continue for weeks, months or, more likely, years until finally she had the courage to leave or do something that ended the violence. However at that point she was beaten into a shell that separated her self from the outside world. Walls were built that prevented anyone from getting that close again and all emotions and fears were shoved into a corner, pushed aside to be dealt with at a later date.

**Snap **

Once again she peered at the picture that popped up and as she looked at it she noticed something on his chest. Transferring her gaze from the picture to the real body Natalia looked at the collar of Gunnar Matthews' shirt she pulled it down with a single gloved finger. Her keen eyes had spotted not a button or some other smudge but the top curve of the word "Revenge", tattooed in black in just under his collar bone.

In a way the cryptic prison tattoo was a good sign for the investigation the IAB was already opening. It provided more evidence that Horatio's kill shot was warranted well that and the security camera footage of the entire attack. It was going be an open and shut case for them but, Natalia suspected, it was going to be a long road for Calleigh.

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**A tad bit shorter than last time but nevertheless it is another chapter. I deeply appreciate any and all reviews I receive. **

**Thanks for reading, **

**AllOverTheWorld**


	3. And it all comes down

**Title: Solace **

**Author: AllOverTheWorld **

**Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh**

**Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to? **

**Authors Notes: Once again I send my thanks out to my reviewees (muddpuppy19; daxy; Pinkyster; ajay1960 and littlehappyrock). **

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As she stepped across the threshold Calleigh's reached out with her left arm and grabbed the SIG Sauer 9mm she kept hidden in her coat rack. Once her hand settled on the handle of the gun she pulled it out and inserted it into her holster, just in case. Dropping her bags on the floor was all she managed to do before the walls broke and the waves of emotion crashed down. First to hit her was fear, an in controllable fear and even as made her way to her bedroom, hand still resting comfortably on the handle of her gun, Gunnar's face loomed out of the darkness. As she made it into her bedroom the last of her strength left her and she collapsed and she sank down with her back against the wall.

Here, alone, free from the confines of the CSI lab and the facade she had to put on whilst there was no longer necessary. It dropped to the floor about as fast as she fell to it and she quickly became a sobbing mess. Unlike back in the lab no feelings of guilt or shame came with this episode just the next wave which was disgust. As she leaned against the wall she could literally feel his hands creeping across her stomach and she heard the sharp intake of breath as he undid the button of her pants. She could feel his excitement building as he pressed the gun sharper into her temple.

She fingered the growing bruise and suddenly a flash back over came her:

"_Calleigh!" he called out angrily, his voice echoing around the small apartment "Calleigh, god dammit where are you?" _

_Scrambling to her feet, she practically fell off the couch and made a loud thumping noise in the process which only helped to piss Gunnar off even more. He walked, loudly and (if possible) angrier than when he had walked in the apartment "Jesus" he sand strode over to Calleigh and roughly grabbed her arm. _

_He pulled her to his feet and even as she was on the rise she could smell the whiskey, it was basically dripping from his pores. Their eyes met and she saw that familiar glaze, the glaze that meant she was going to be his punching bag, again. His fist connected with her stomach and if not for his vice-like grip on her arm she would have crumpled to the floor. He laughed, more like a merciless bark with a hint of amusement "You that weak Calleigh baby?" he asked "Maybe you're just tired? Let's go to bed, shall we?" _

_She closed her eyes trying to find a place that wasn't this damn apartment, in his iron grip but she her childhood memories were not the greatest nor were anything as of late, she had nothing. He dragged her to the bedroom and threw her onto the bed. Her head hit the headboard, hard, and the world began to flash and spin as she sunk (almost willingly) into the darkness. _

Calleigh's eyes snapped open and she was met with the almost darkness of her own room. The only light came from the streetlight and now, for one of the first times, she appreciated its normally bothersome orange glow. However, for this was not the time for appreciation of lighting for the city of Miami butshe was still in full on panic mode.

Barely able to control her own thoughts she leaned against the hardwood frame of her doorway unable to control neither the tears rolling down her face or the ever increasing thought of how nice her gun was sounding right about now. Her fingers twitched towards it and rested, briefly on the trigger and for a long moment she seriously considered ending it all, all the pain and anger, everything. Then she saw John lying on the floor a pool of blood spreading on the floor by his head. In a single movement she pulled out the gun and hurled it across the room, flinching as it clattered and slid across her bathroom floor. She took a deep ragged breath and another set of uncontrollable emotions coursed through and she was lost in the haze.

* * *

Horatio Caine had done a few things in his life that were questionable, morally. However he _always_ had a reason to justify them if not to himself then to the always vicious public eye (aka the IAB). This was on a whole different level then anytime he could think of. No, no ones life was in danger by his action. He didn't intend for anyone to get hurt. In fact, unlike the other times, he wanted to prevent something very bad from happening to someone he cared about deeply. Perhaps deeper than he understood in the present.

He watched, without seeing, the light bounce off the object in his hands. The rays of light that came from the lamp on his desk reflected off of the curved edges and ragged mountain like parts of the key to Calleigh Duquesne's house. They had traded years ago, for professional reasons, and neither had ever used them since the switch. However now, as he sat in his office, his started at the shining silver key wondering if he should use it.

Ever part of him was screaming to leave this god damn building and drive, faster than was safe or legal, to _her _house and taking her up in his arms. He wanted to hold her and let her cry, or scream or whatever she needed to do. He just needed a reason. He had plenty of reasons but nothing that really struck him as honest.

_I'm worried about her. _

_She shouldn't be alone. _

_Calleigh just got attacked in the one place that she uses as her Mecca, by a man who used to abuse her, that's got to have had nasty affects on her. _

Horatio cursed under his breath and decided that he didn't need a reason (actually he had one but there was no way he was going to use it, not yet). Striding out of his office he gave a curt nod to the night shift guard at the front desk and stepped out into the fresh, night air. The night air was strangely refreshing and it cooled his flaming emotions as he walked to his Hummer. Sliding inside her turned on the monster (not to mention gas guzzling) engine and sped out of the parking lot. He drove, wildly, with one hand and in the other hand was clenched the key that would take him to Calleigh.

He arrived on her block and decided that slowing down might be in the best interest of both his life and the well being of Calleigh. He parked his car and walked up the front steps, pausing for a moment as he considered what he was about to do. He could step back, go home and get a good nights rest but his ears caught the sound of something clattering made up his mind for him.

He put the key in the lock and stepped inside the dark house. He listened for any sound and hearing none he quickly checked the first floor and seeing nothing he headed up to her room. The sight that met his eyes tore his heart out. Calleigh was in a ball on the floor, shaking and crying. The source of the clatter, he discovered was from the gun that now lying on the floor of her bathroom.

"Calleigh." He said quietly and a pang of guilt as she flinched and turned to look at him. Her eyes were still streaming with tears and he could see what Gunnar had done to her had damaged her to an extent he rarely saw. He was amazed and impressed that she had remained as in self control as she had.

He crouched down next to Calleigh and gently wrapped one arm around her shoulder "Sweetheart." He said quietly and fully sat down next to her.

The presence of Horatio was not unwelcome in fact at this point Calleigh was glad that there was anther person here with her. Of course of all the people it could have been, Horatio was the best case scenario (apparently she still had some luck left in the world). She felt his arm wrap around her shoulder and she just fell into his chest. She lost herself in the comfort he provided without even trying.

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**This chapter was the first part of this night because I just wanted to get them together. The next chapter will be, well, I hope you like it. **

**Question of the chapter: **

_**Best Horatio one liner?**_


	4. It's Never Trouble When it's for You

**Title: Solace **

**Author: AllOverTheWorld **

**Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh**

**Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to? **

**Authors Notes: Thanks to lady10, daxy, Pinkyster and ajay1960 for their reviews, they are my reason for continuing this story. Also this chapter is short than the rest but I find this kind of thing hard to write and don't worry, this will pick up again soon. Prison friends tend to be nasty. Hehe **

* * *

It was a long time before either Calleigh or Horatio moved again. They sat, so intertwined in each other that for one to move they would have to and Horatio wasn't about to disturb Calleigh. Her head was leaning against his chest and the never ending stream of tears flowed down her face and onto Horatio's shirt. Her hair had long since fallen across her face as if attempting to block her from the evils of the world…not that she needed it much right now…she had Horatio Caine.

His arms were wrapped protectively around her, holding Calleigh to him. One of his hands was rubbing slow circles on her back (in an attempt to calm her down) while the other was running through her golden tresses (again to calm her down). Occasionally he would say things along the lines of "Shhh, Calleigh it's over." Or "He can't hurt you anymore sweetheart."

The emotional rollercoaster Calleigh was currently on was one of the worst Horatio had seen from anyone. Every time she would be almost calm, or her breathing would begin to steady a flashback would overwhelm her and she would be back to where she had started. Whilst in the grips of the nightmare she would do one of many things. The first and most popular (popular in the worst sense) was a vicious shaking, Calleigh would simply tremble in fear. The second was the shouting. She would cry out "No! Stop, please Gunnar!" Finally was the fighting. Every few flashbacks or so Calleigh would begin to try and fight his grip, like he was the monster of her nightmares.

At this it was all Horatio could do to not start crying himself, to see any one in this state was…depressing. A small (and growing ever larger) part was beginning to feel less and less remorse for shooting Gunnar and more and more glad he had forgotten that damn file on his desk. As the night progressed onwards towards Horatio gained more and more insight into what exactly Calleigh had suffered at the hands of that bastard.

This was knowledge that, while he knew it would help him in the future, he never wanted to actually hear. Calleigh was one of the strongest people he knew, if not the strongest, but it was a shame to see where it had come from. Gunnar Matthews had literally forced Calleigh to throw walls up around herself as a means of protecting herself from that again. A surge of anger rolled through him and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming himself because right now Calleigh needed him.

It was just after the digital clock on Calleigh's beside table read three seventeen am that he finally realized that she had fallen asleep. He figured that it was from sheer exhaustion and not because she was calm or relaxed. Moving slowly so as to not wake up the sleeping CSI he lifted her into his arms and with her head still resting on his chest he carried her over to her bed.

He set her down as gently as he could and arranged the blankets around her. She stirred slightly as Horatio made to go and close the bedroom door. Still asleep she grabbed his arm and muttered "Don't."

A smiled flickered across his face as he whispered "I wont." He said and sat down on the bed next to her sleeping form. As the night progressed closer and closer to the sunrise the remaining hours were spent with little disruption. Horatio sat, awake, gently stroking Calleigh's hair as she slept, amidst the whimpers of fear and the occasional mutter of "Stop it, please."

Finally, just as the sun was sending its lazy rays in through the window and onto the floor in Calleigh room, she rolled over and looked at Horatio. His eyes were closed but she knew he wasn't asleep because as she looked at him his eyes opened and he smiled "Morning." He said quietly

"Jesus." She whispered and closed her eyes again "My head is killing me."

"I'm sure you have some Advil around here somewhere." He offered but she shook her head.

"Nope, not even Ibuprofin."

Horatio shook his head "Other than that, how do you feel?"

It took Calleigh a moment but then it was like getting hit by a train. While most of the night was a hazy, emotional blur she remembered the basics "Is-is he dead?" she asked, her voice shaking as she sat up into a sitting position.

Horatio nodded "He won't hurt you ever again."

Calleigh sighed in relief and turned to look at her boss "You know how many times I wish I had the guts to pull the trigger thirteen years ago?"

"You weren't who you are now." He said

"I was always interested in guns growing up so I knew a lot about them but it was only after Gunnar started-" her voice faltered and for a moment she thought she was going to cry but a reassuring hand extending from Horatio onto her own and she spoke on "hurting me, that I really started reading about them. They provided the only happy memories I have during that time, dreaming up the various scenarios in which I could kill him."

She took a deep breath and faltered for a second moment and closed her eyes willing her emotions to just freeze. Calleigh began to tremble and shake but before she was to far gone Horatio pulled her into him again and her head rested on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her forehead and said "I'm right here, you're safe."

She nodded but didn't move from his reassuring grip "You know I hate him because of what he did to me but at the same time without that I wouldn't be who I am today. So I begin to hate myself."

"Never." Horatio said "Never hate yourself."

There was a brief moment of silence before Calleigh turned to him and asked "Should I be expecting another broken window or did you manage to find my spare key?"

Horatio smiled "You remember that we traded keys right?"

She paused for a moment then a smile twitched at the corners of her mouth "of course, your key is next to the key for the lab." She said then fell quite.

* * *

The lab.

Her lab.

Her place of peace and solidarity.

_Broken._

_Gone._

* * *

She pulled herself away from Horatio and asked quietly "How can I go back there? Even thinking about it now makes she freak out. How can I work proficiently if I'm jumping every time the door opens or some touches me? How-" she spluttered

Horatio placed a single finger on her lips "Calleigh Duquesne. You will recover, I assure you."

"How do you know?" she asked desperately

He turned her head so they looked red rimmed and shining green eyes to sparkling blue eye "After John you wouldn't go near it for days but you got over it and worked, perhaps better than ever. I believe in you. However you need a few days off and that's an order."

Calleigh swallowed both her protest and her fear but Horatio saw both flash in her eyes and he said "I can stay if you want." Before he even knew he said it

She looked away "You have to work and anyway I'll be fine." She said and Horatio's heart sunk slightly but nevertheless he smiled

"Ill stay for the morning, make sure you eat something before I go back to work."

"You don't have to, you've been through enough trouble for me already."

Horatio shook his head as he slipped out of bed "It's never trouble for you Calleigh." He said "You get some more rest and I'll make breakfast."

She nodded and slide back under the covers, secretly glad he was staying and as he walked out of the room Calleigh called out "Horatio."

He turned and she said "Thank you."

He nodded "No problem." He said as he closed the door.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, I hope that you found it *insert adjective here* to read, it was defiantly a challenge for me to write. A second thanks goes out to you all because this story is forcing me out of my comfort zone. Let me know how I'm doing! **

_**Question for the chapter: **_

_**Best baddie on CSI: Miami? **_

**AllOverTheWorld**


	5. Unwanted Guest

**Title: Solace **

**Author: AllOverTheWorld **

**Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh**

**Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to? **

**Authors Notes: Thanks to my reviewees (calleigh16, Pinkyster and muddpuppy19). Also another thank you goes out to Pinkyster for whom an idea for this story has come from. Also any name mix-ups are my own, so let me know!**

* * *

"Right, Frank can you take care of the approvals for me. I won't be in until later but this _has _to get taken care of before-"Horatio, ever the master of multitasking, was cooking eggs while simultaneously talking on the phone and mixing pancake batter. However he couldn't finish his statement because he heard the soft padding of footsteps that could only mean Calleigh was awake "I'll talk to you later." He said and hung up.

"Who was that?" Calleigh asked as she entered the kitchen clad now in a pair of pajama pants and an extremely hold and rather large MDPD t-shirt.

"Frank." Horatio said and was relieved when Calleigh just nodded and said

"You didn't have to hang up on him just because I'm here."

Horatio smiled "It's okay, he wont mind." He said and watched as Calleigh walked up to island and sat down on a worn bar stool.

Silence filled the room, save for the sound of Horatio cooking but Calleigh's voice pierced the silence after a few minutes "I hate him." She said quietly

Horatio slid the last remnants of egg onto a large plate and put it in the oven before pouring a measured amount of batter into the still searing hot pan "That's understandable." He said slowly, allowing her to say what she needed.

"For years every time I closed my eyes it was his face that I saw. I didn't sleep for more than two or three hours at time for years. I would dream that he had broken out of prison and-"her voice broke "well you saw what happened. I'd been dreaming about something like that happening for years. I should have known he was going to do something like that. I should have gotten a spare gun."

All the while Calleigh had been talking Horatio had finished cooking and slid a plate full of eggs, strawberries and pancakes in front of Calleigh "Sweetheart" he started and put one of his hands over her own "You did nothing wrong."

She looked at him in disbelief "The IAB is going to eat me alive. I get my gun stolen and the very same day an ex-boyfriend with a grudge shows up at the lab and tries to kill me, Stetler is going to eat it all up."

"I will deal with the IAB." He said and his voice was laced with a slight menace "Eat." He urged "I'm not leaving until I've seen you eat something."

Hesitantly Calleigh took a mouth full of pancakes and swallowed, she paused for a moment not trusting her own stomach then smiled and took another bite. The minutes passed in silence broken only by the sounds of metal scraping plate as the duo ate. Finally there was the clatter of silverware on the counter as Calleigh set her knife and fork down "That" she started and at Horatio "was amazing. I didn't know you could cook."

Horatio laughed "Did you think I lived off of take out?"

She shook her head "No, I was picturing something more along the lines of bullets and bad guys for breakfast."

"I save those for lunch." He said and his heart soared when he heart that familiar laugh. His phone suddenly started to vibrate and he saw Calleigh jump ever so slightly "Horatio Caine." He said into the mouth piece "I am currently occupied but I will be in, in about half an hour. I'll see you then Rick."

Calleigh's heart plummeted, the IAB was already taking statements "You should go." She said "You don't want to give Stetler any more time to come up with his bullshit than normal."

Joining Calleigh on the other side of the island Horatio said "Stop worrying. Everything is going to work out. Now I want you to do something to relax this afternoon and I'll stop by after I'm done working."

She forced a smile on her face, a whole afternoon with nothing but her thoughts to be her companion, she wasn't sure she would make it until his return "Okay." She said simply.

Horatio kissed the top of her forehead and said "If you _ever _need me just call me and I'll be here."

She nodded and watched as he walked out of the room and out of her house. As soon as the door closed the silence became overwhelming, she rose and walked over to the drawer under the sink and pulled out her Glock 21 and held it in her hand tightly.

Deciding that the day would be better spent in front of the T.V. than sitting in her bedroom, paralyzed in fear. Settling on the couch she flipped on the TV and flipped aimlessly through the channels before deciding on Oprah, all the while the Glock never leaving her hand.

* * *

Horatio entered the interview room and sat down "Rick." He said by means of a greeting.

"Horatio, I reviewed both yours and Miss. Duquesne's reports of what happened and it seems all good except for one detail. The weapon that was used on Miss. Duquesne was her own correct."

"Yes."

"It was stolen from her yesterday morning?"

"Yes, at a crime scene. There was an altercation between a group of men and Miss. Duquesne went in to stop it. By the time she realized her gun had been taken it was too late."

"That doesn't strike you as odd?"

"What, that she went to stop a fight. If you're asking me that then you have been in IAB too long. Serve and protect, remember." He said

"That the weapon she allegedly got stolen appears later that day in the possession of her ex-boyfriend, doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"No." Horatio said, quickly getting agitated with where this line of questioning was going.

"He get's out of prison and comes to Miami just to take revenge on Miss. Duquesne? That seems extreme to me."

"What are you insinuating Rick?"

"I'm merely saying that the entire incident could just have easily been planned. How else would Mr. Matthews know when the night shift changed over or gotten the clothes to pass security?"

Horatio's mind flashed back to the night before, Calleigh sitting in his arms, terrified to close her eyes for fear that Gunnar Matthews would return "That's bullshit and you know it Rick. If you had even bothered to look at the file Gunnar Matthews purchased all of the items necessary from a cop shop downtown. He could not purchase a gun because he had no proper means of ID, they would have known he skipped parole and sent him back to prison."

Stetler sighed and then asked "Do you know where I can find Miss. Duquesne? I need to ask her some questions."

Horatio's eyes flashed knowing that Calleigh could barely handle talking to him let alone Stetler "She's not here, she's at home."

Rick sat up a little straighter "I see that as an attempt to evade questioning, suspicious isn't Horatio?"

It was all he could to contain his anger as he said "She's recovering."

"Well I need to ask her some questions. Talk to you later Horatio." He said and stood up, leaving Horatio worried and anxious about Calleigh.

* * *

Calliegh had just changed the channel to the Food Network when she heard someone coming up her front steps. Her heart pounding in her ears she waited, tense and shaking as the door bell echoed throughout her house. With one hand on her gun she walked towards the front door and peered out, the person on her doorstep was neither wanted not welcome, however she opened the door and said "How can I help you?"

Rick Stetler smiled "Sorry for the inconvenience, I just wanted to clear a few things up so we can get this mess out of the way."

She forced a smile on her face and tried to keep herself calm as he took a step forward, basically forcing himself inside her house "What do you need?" she asked

"Mind if we take a seat?"

_Yes, I do mind. _She thought but instead led him into the kitchen and stood while he took a seat and pulled out his recorder "Now, I just have a few questions regarding the, ahm, incident yesterday."

She nodded, trying not to think about "What do you need to know?"

"In your statement you said that your gun was taken earlier that day while you were breaking up a fight at a crime scene?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't see Gunnar Matthews there?"

"No."

"Then how did he get your gun, it's an awful big coincidence."

Taking a small breath to calm her, Calleigh said "I don't know. There were so many people there he could have taken it or gotten someone else to do it for him."

"But he doesn't know anybody here in Miami, except for you. Are you sure you didn't just slip him that gun amidst the mayhem."

"No, I didn't give my to Gunnar Matthews." She said and was relieved when her phone began to ring, pulling out she saw that it was Horatio. Glancing at Stetler she said "Pardon me." And walked out of the room "Horatio." She gasped

He knew something was wrong and Horatio was confident he knew what it was. Inwardly he cursed himself for not stopping Rick "Calleigh." He breathed "Are you okay?"

"For now. "She said and then with a hint of desperation she said "Horatio, I don't think I can keep it together much longer."

"Try for just a little bit longer sweetheart I'm on my way." As he spoke he was turning the ignition on the hummer.

Before Calleigh could respond the phone was taken from her grasp and shut by Stetler. Before she could whirl around she felt the tickle of his breath on her neck and all was lost. She tried hard to remain in the present but even as she fought it she could feel Gunnar's hand on her abdomen, the barrel of the gun pressing into her temple "Calleigh" Stetler said

She could move, paralyzed by the flashback.

"Miss. Duquesne, if you care to keep your job it would be wise to finish this interview."

She couldn't breath, she couldn't move, she didn't even hear that threat.

"_Miss me Calleigh?" _

_His voice was sweet but it was unmistakably laced with venom, venom that she felt as he pushed the barrel of the gun hard into her neck "Come on Calleigh. I know that you missed me. You missed how I could make you feel." He was smiling, she could tell by his voice and the fact that he obviously loved every second of this. _

"_If you count making feel scared and alone as a good thing, then yes, I did miss that, though working here can do a good job of that sometimes." Calleigh said trying to keep her voice steady and calm as she reached for her gun. As her shaking hand reached the holster at her side, her blood froze as her hand touched an empty holster. She cursed her self for allowing her gun to be stolen and not getting a replacement. She was weaponless against her angry ex-boyfriend from thirteen years ago. _

"_Lies," He hissed "I remember when you would moan my name, begging me to come home so we could have some fun." _

_Calleigh swallowed "If you're here to shoot me Gunnar just do it already." _

"_I don't think so Calleigh. You see, I've been waiting thirteen years to do this and let me tell you it feels good to be the one holding the gun." He said and as he said this his unarmed hand snaked across her abdomen and towards the button of her pants. _

The sound of a door banging open and Horatio's voice yelling something she didn't quite catch dragged her out of the flashback ever so slightly. It brought her back enough for her to realize that she was leaning against the floor in her hallway, tears rolling down her face and staring down the barrel of Stetler's gun. In her own hand she held her Glock however the safety was still on and her finger wasn't anywhere near the trigger.

Fear rolled through her and she closed her eyes as Horatio came within inches of Stetler's face "I told you she was recovering." He hissed, his cobalt eyes flashing dangerously

"I needed to clarify a few things." Stetler said, still not putting his gun down.

"Put your gun away Rick. She's not a threat."

Rick smirked "She reached for her gun first."

"Because you came in here and interrogated her."

"I could write her up for threatening an IAB officer."

Horatio's anger rose, if that was possible, to new heights spurred on by both Stetler's comments and the soft whimpers coming from Calleigh "Leave." He hissed and stood aside for Stetler to leave.

"This interview isn't over Miss. Duquesne." He said over his shoulder as he left but she didn't hear him.

As soon as the door was closed Horatio sunk to his knees and pulled Calleigh into him whispering softly "Shhh, it's over. It's over. You're safe."

She cried into his shirt for a few minutes before Horatio helped her up and asked her gently "Did he" Horatio paused letting Calleigh get comfortable on the couch before taking a seat next to her "try to do anything to you?"

Calleigh looked at him and then looked away "I was on the phone with you and he came up behind me and took my phone. I was angry at that but then his breath hit my neck and-"she trailed off as more tears spilled down her face.

At that moment Horatio wanted to do nothing more than to shoot Rick Stetler for what he had put Calleigh through "You did nothing wrong. It's against protocol for him to come to an officers home to collect a statement, he's trying to rile me up."

Calleigh looked away "I shouldn't have let him get to me."

Horatio shook his head "It's not your fault."

"He's going to twist everything, you know that." She said

"He won't get away with it." Horatio said "If he tries anything…" he trialed off and was content for a moment to let Calleigh just lean against him. He ran one hand through her hair and the other simple rested in his lap. To his surprise, and pleasure, she grabbed it with one of her own and intertwined their fingers. She fell asleep like that and Horatio turned his attention to Iron Chef America.

* * *

**Whew. That was a long one. Anyway I hope you enjoyed that, although Horatio desperately wanted to hurt Stetler (sp?). Thank you so very much for taking the time to read this! **

_**Question for the chapter: **_

_**Best episode of CSI: Miami?**_

**AllOverTheWorld**


	6. The Problem With Family

**Title: Solace **

**Author: AllOverTheWorld **

**Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh**

**Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to? **

**Authors Notes: Thanks to: Calleigh16, Arlene, Pinkyster, Turbidblue, daxy and muddpuppy19 for taking the time to review my story! **

* * *

Calleigh began to stir soon after _Battle Banana _had concluded on the cooking channel and it took her a moment to fully realize who she was laying on. That brief moment before the memories of the past two days rushed back to her was the best she'd felt in the last forty-eight hours but as the saying goes 'all good things must go to an end'. Except that ending came _much _too soon. Gunner's green eye's flashed angrily then the echoing gun shot, followed up by her break down the night before and ending with her altercation with Stetler. It had been the longest forty eight hours of her life and she suspected that had it not been for Horatio, she may not be in this position.

On the topic of positions, she thought, Calleigh realized just how comfortable she was. It was slightly awkward but she had known Horatio longer than anyone else at CSI (except Tripp maybe) and through it all they had managed to stay strong. Her head was resting gently against his chest and the rest of their bodies mingled and extended across the rest of her worn couch. One of his arms was resting comfortingly on her back while the other held the remote which was aimed at the TV as he started to clip through the channels.

However he seemed to sense her change in breathing and feel her begin to stir because he set it down and said "How are you feeling?"

Pushing herself up, rather unwillingly, from his chest she brought her knees to her own chest and rested her chin on top "I'm okay." She said honestly

Horatio shifted to a sitting position and muted the T.V. before he spoke "You're going to get through this."

She nodded and turned to look at him "I know" she said then mused out loud "But at what cost? I can barely even think about my lab without thinking about _him_. How can I even begin to think about working in there. I-"

Once again Horatio put a stop to her rambling, he knew that she would be okay (granted he was sort of helping with that particular process but…) and she needed to understand that "Calleigh, you're going to be fine. Certain" he paused then decided to give her at least part of the truth "changes are taking place as we speak."

She looked at him confused "I hope your not going out of your way for me. I'm just being silly. I get shot at least once a week and this time shouldn't be any different." As she spoke her voice trailed off but Horatio's keen ears caught every word and he took Calleigh's hand up in his own.

"This wasn't a regular day. This wasn't one of our suspects shooting at us from the living room of his home. This was a man who spent thirteen years planning revenge on you and you alone. What you're feeling is normal, don't be embarrassed about how you feel." His voice was soft and whilst it was almost chastising her for how she was thinking Calleigh didn't take it that way.

In fact she was relieved that someone in the world didn't think she was crazy because she had probably already convinced Stetler of that. Shaking her head she made to stand up but as she did so Horatio's phone buzzed unexpectedly and she jumped which sent her landing back on the couch with a slight oomph.

"This is Horatio." He said and looked at Calleigh to make sure she was alright, after receiving a rather unconvincing nod from her he turned his full concentration back to the phone while Calleigh wandered into the kitchen.

"Alright, Eric, I'll meet you there."

Hanging up the phone Horatio sighed, he would rather not leave Calleigh here alone but being the Lieutenant of the crime lab did mean that upon occasion he did have to work. He eased himself up from the sofa and turned to see Calleigh looking into her empty fridge. She turned to him and asked "How on earth did you make that breakfast, there's nothing here."

Horatio shrugged and walked over to her "Will you be alright?"

Calleigh nodded "I'm going to go to the grocery store and get some food for my fridge." She was slightly hesitant of going out in public however she needed to get out of this house and at least the grocery store would give her a purpose.

Horatio was worried about this but if Calleigh figured she could handle it then he would let her "Don't push it to much." He said gently and added his now customary "I'll have my phone on if you need me."

"I wont." She said, trying to sound confident in this choice but only ended up worrying Horatio more.

They left her house at the same time and Horatio watched Calleigh's hummer disappeared after taking a left turn. He was worried, really he was but at the same time she needed to see that she wasn't an invalid. Sitting alone in the Hummer an unexpected surge of rage coursed through him and he had to take a few deep breaths. This rage was directed at Stetler more than Gunnar, although both bastards had done enough damage on Calleigh to last a lifetime.

He was angry at Stetler because he had violated her home, the last place Calleigh could feel safe and it had been ruined by that man. Throughout the years Horatio had always remained calm and respectful towards the IAB agent who was so determined to ruin his career. However this had been a deliberate attempt to sabotage not just his career but that of someone he cared for _deeply_. Going to Calleigh's house, knowing what kind of state she would be in, and acting how he did was a desperate attempt to get her to do something irrational (like shoot him, although as far as Horatio was concerned that wouldn't be irrational).

His anger subsiding Horatio pulled out of her drive way and disappeared into the afternoon light.

* * *

The supermarket was colder than Calleigh had planned for and her arms were freezing as she walked quickly through the store. Initially the entire idea had seemed okay, good for her to get out of the house but now as she walked down the freezer section she realized how mistaken she was. The constant noise was making her jump and how close people inadvertently came to her was unnerving. As she negotiated another tight squeeze, in between two old women discussing types of jam, her hands gripped the cart so hard her knuckles were white.

She turned down a less used isle, pet supplies, to calm down. She slowed her cart down so that it was barely moving and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths. Her eyes opened and she headed down the rest of the isle. However just as she was about to exit a man entered the isle and her blood froze.

He had those same emerald green eyes but his hair was brown, not golden blond, however the resemblance was uncanny.

_He's dead._ Calleigh tried to remind herself

"Excuse me ma'am." Her companion in the isle said, his southern accent only proving to further Calleigh's duress "I couldn't help but notice you, are you alright."

_Say something. _

_Anything. _

_Anything that will make him go away. _

"Yes, thanks." Calleigh said her attention focused on the image of a Husky puppy on the front of some bag of doggy food.

"Are you sure, you seem stressed."

"Yes." Calleigh said and made to maneuver he cart around the stranger except he stuck out one of his feet to stop it.

_He's dead. He's dead. He's dead._ Calleigh chanted over and over again in her mind but the resemblance was too much for this to be an accident, that or a cruel trick "Are you sure there's nothing I can do?"

"Move your foot." She said and it was all she dared to say, for fear of breaking down.

"I just think it's horrible for such an attractive woman to be in a store, alone." He said and made a step towards her.

Instinct kicking in she lifted the bottom of her jacket, showing the man her gun and badge. Her hand rested lightly on her gun and she looked at him. He backed away without saying a word and disappeared down another isle. Finding herself alone once again Calleigh tried to calm herself except it was no use, instead she headed for the check out and bought the few items she had managed to grab. Exiting the store she let out a small sigh of relief, although still quite shaken, she managed to make it al the way home.

* * *

Three hours later Calleigh was sitting on her couch watching the T.V., her Glock resting on her lap when the doorbell rang. She jumped but managed to recover faster than the previous times as she walked out to see who it was. To her delight and not so much surprise she saw Horatio standing on her doorstep, for the first time in the past two days Calleigh saw how tired he looked and a pang of guilt rose in her chest.

"Hey." She said and stepped aside to let him in.

He smiled "How was your afternoon."

She hesitated for a fraction of a second before saying "It was fine."

Horatio looked at her pointedly; he had noticed the hesitation "Calleigh what happened."

Leading him into the kitchen Calleigh turned and said "Nothing, it was just a long afternoon."

"You're lying." He said, not wanting to sound too harsh but at the same time he needed to know that she was okay.

"It-it was nothing. Just some idiot in the store spooked me." She said dismissively

"What happened?" Horatio asked, probing gently.

"He just blocked my cart and kept asking me if I was okay. He cleared off once he saw I was a cop thought." She said then added, much quieter "He looked just like Gunnar, except his hair was darker. He had the accent and everything."

Horatio looked up sharply "What?"

"The man in the supermarket looked just like Gunnar. If I knew he didn't have any brothers I would have sworn they were related."

This unnerved Horatio more than he cared to let on "I'll check it out." He said "Meanwhile I'll see if I can make something out of what you brought home."

Calleigh snorted "What, a collection of frozen meals, some banana's, oranges and the cat toy that fell in my cart?"

"I'm sure I'll think of something." Horatio said "Sit down." he said and she obeyed, all to glad to stop talking about her supermarket encounter. "I'll be right back." Horatio said and walked out to the hummer.

Once outside he pulled out his phone and dialed Eric "Mr. Delko, are you still at work?"

"_Yea H, what's up?" _

"I need you to find out if Gunnar Matthew's had any relatives, male about his age."

"_Sure thing, let me pull up his file. Can I ask why?" _

"Something that happened to Calleigh in the supermarket today."

"_How is Calleigh?"_

"She's" Horatio breath "okay. Right now she just needs to remember that she's not alone in this mess."

"_Alright, it says here in this file that Gunnar Matthews has three cousins. However only one of them is his age and" Eric paused "he has priors. Two for assault and battery and one for attempted rape." _

"Can you give me his description please."

"_Sure thing. He's 6'3" with green eyes and brown hair." _

"Thanks Eric." Horatio said, this was not good a sign. Why was Gunnar's only cousin in Miami? "Where does he live?"

"_New York, he's far from home if he's here in Miami." _

"Now the question remains: why is he here?" Horatio replied

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had it all planned out in my mind but it didn't turn out the way I wanted to. Nevertheless it is another chapter. This story will now be updated **_**every other day **_**because I have another story (I'll Never Let You go) that I have decided to turn into a story and not just a one shot. Anyway if you feel like letting me know how you feel about Gunnar's cousin being in town feel free. **

_**Question of the chapter: **_

_**Best couple on CSI: Miami?**_

**AllOverTheWorld**


	7. Not Allowed to Hide

**Title: Solace **

**Author: AllOverTheWorld **

**Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh**

**Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to? **

**Authors Notes: Thanks to all my reviewers (muddpuppy19, sunshinebulletgirl, calleigh16, Pinkyster and ajay1960).**

* * *

Horatio reentered Calleigh's house to see her standing there with her arms crossed and look of displeasure on her face "I'm not an idiot Horatio. You're going to make dinner and you 'left something in your car. What did you leave a spatula?" she asked her voice mocking.

"Calleigh I'm sorry." He said honestly "I wanted to make sure I was right before telling you what I think is going on."

A flicker of worry flashed in Calleigh's eyes and suddenly her posture was less confident and her tone was almost fearful "What do you mean?" Although she knew that the encounter in the grocery store was not random, nor was it coincidental that the stranger had so strongly resembled Gunnar but Horatio saying that he wanted confirmation on something meant that he had suspected this wasn't over.

Horatio say the flash of fear in her eyes and decided that right now what Calleigh needed was the truth, not matter how it might affect her. From the years of friendship that Horatio and Calleigh had he also knew that Calleigh didn't like being babied or lied to by anyone. With this in mind he said "Let's get out of your hallway and back into the kitchen then I'll explain everything."

After a moment of consideration Calleigh decided that Horatio wasn't trying to change the subject so she agreed to the change of venue. Once she had settled down on the couch and Horatio had taken the armchair next to it she turned to him and he started to explain "The man who you encountered in the grocery store was Tristan Burns-" he paused for any signs of recognition from Calleigh who seemed to read this and said shakily

"I should have put two and two together." She said quietly "I knew I remembered that face from somewhere. Tristan and Gunnar were like two peas in a pod, always getting drunk together. He-" her voice hitched and she fought to hold back the waves of emotion that had suddenly rushed to her at the mention of his name. However she didn't need to finish her sentence because Horatio could pretty much guess the next sentence.

He reached out from his chair and place one of his hands over her own, reassuring her, then continued speaking "Tristan was released from Rikers Island two years ago after a three year sentence and has since taken up residence in New York. He visited Gunnar regularly up until his imprisonment for assault and battery and an attempted rape charge."

Calleigh looked at him, again not needing to voice allowed her concerns. "Calleigh, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

"I know." She said quietly "It's just, how did I forget about him? He's probably here to finish what Gunnar started and now that he's dead he'll just be all the angrier."

Horatio could see the fear in her eyes no matter how she tried to hide it from him. Not to mention her hand was not resting on her gun, now out of habit than anything else "People who are angry are prone to erratic behavior and that's how we are going to catch him."

A plan.

A plan would occupy her mind.

A plan would help her.

A plan would mean that Horatio would be with her.

She liked a plan.

"So what's the plan?" she asked Horatio.

This wasn't good. Horatio hadn't meant for this happen. Sighing he looked at Calleigh "Calleigh I know what you're trying to do." He said quietly. He knew he was going out on a limb by calling her out on this but if she shoved all of her emotions aside she would crash and crash harder than she had before.

She looked at him "What do you mean?" she lied

"We've been friends for a long time Calleigh. I know how you operate and most of the time it works for you but you can not ignore everything that's going on, everything that has happened recently."

Anger flared up in Calleigh "So now you can tell me how to act?"

"Calleigh." Horatio said, calm and collected. He couldn't let even the slightest hint of anger through or else he might send Calleigh back on a flashback and he would never be able to forgive himself for doing that "I care about you and I don't ever want to see you how you were two nights ago. As much as you hate it, you have to deal with it. Shoving it aside and immersing yourself in work is only hurting you."

Her eyes flashed and for the first time in two days she felt an emotion that wasn't confusion, hurt, fear or anything synonymous with those three words. She was angry, angry that he was telling her how to act but more than that, she was angry that he was right. However four words quickly rose to the front of her mind _I care about you. _Those four words echoed in her mind and they sounded more than just coworker to coworker.

"What am I supposed to do?" she asked "I can barely talk about it without breaking down let alone stare it in the face and handle it."

Horatio watched as Calleigh went from anger to confusion faster than he could blink and knew he was getting somewhere. This was a good thing because confronting Calleigh is like playing with fire, more times that not, you're going to get burned. Except now and he was pretty sure that only he could get away with that "I'm not going to tell you it is going to be easy because it's not. In fact it's going to one of the hardest things you've ever done."

She just looked at him "Nothing I will ever do in my life will ever be as hard as it was to gather the guts to stand up to Gunner." She said

Horatio nodded "I want you to know that you don't have to do it alone."

Calleigh was about to respond when there was an explosion of gunfire that shattered her front windows and sent both Calleigh and Horatio diving to the floor.

"Calliegh!" Horatio yelled as the gunfire continued "Are you okay?"

The instant Calleigh had heard the gunfire she had dove for the floor where her instincts kicked in, not even Gunnar Matthews could take away those. Her hand reached out for the gun she had hidden under the sofa and she pulled it out a fully automatic Glock 18. She raised it and returned fire out the window.

"Calleigh!" Horatio yelled and looked around and to his relief he saw Calleigh in a kneeling position holding her gun up.

"I'm fine." She said, her voice shaking "How about you?" she asked

"I'm fine." He said and slowly made his way towards the window where he saw a small Mustang GT whipping around the corner and out of sight. His heart sank, Tristan Burns owned a Mustang GT.

Tristan Burns had just tried to kill Calleigh and himself. This was way beyond reckless, this was revenge plain and simple.

* * *

**Don Don Don, the return of Tristan Burns, not that he was gone long but whatever. Tristan is reckless and dangerous, he already tried to kill Calleigh **_**in her own home**_**. What will he do next? **

**Thanks for reading! **

**AllOverTheWorld **

**P.S. I will not be updating this story or I'll Never Let You Go because I am visiting a college and will have absolutely no time. Sorry about that. However the next updates will be nice and long. **


	8. Police Protection

**Title: Solace **

**Author: AllOverTheWorld **

**Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh**

**Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to? **

**Authors Notes: Thank you to Sea-Patrol-NCIS-freak, LA Calleigh, NiteJasmine, Pinkyster, daxy, muddpuppy19 and Amythest Lilly for reviewing! **

* * *

Life seemed to move around Calleigh. People walked by and either nodded their heads or looked away because no one seemed to know what to say or do with her. She couldn't process the crime scene, nor could she leave the safety of the CSI's for fear of Tristan's next attempt. All Calleigh could do is watch as Ryan, Eric, Natalia, Walter and others pulled up from the night shift went through the wreckage that used to be her house. A cool breeze was sweeping through Miami and she shivered as it went right through her clothing and kissed the pale skin beneath it. Slight tremors shook her body where she stood and it was all she could do to break down again.

Over the fast two, almost three days, she had been shot at twice (once by her own gun)by people that wanted nothing more than to see her in a pine box six feet under. Horatio's gentle voice shook her out of her thoughts and she turned to see Horatio walking over to her, removing his jacket as he did so "Come sit down." he said as he draped the jacket over her shoulders.

Calleigh looked around the crime scene, there really didn't seem to be any place to sit. Her eyes rested on her Hummer, the hulking silvery-grey machine that it was and cringed at the sight of its bullet riddled windshield and stuffing leaking from the seats where the bullets had eventually stopped. That car, she thought, was much like herself. It once had a strange combination of power and beauty that attracted others to it. Criminals cringed before the giant but now it was a broken, useless mess.

Horatio guided Calleigh to his own Hummer which had sustained very little damage and opened the passenger door for her to sit down "I'm placing you under police protection until Tristan is apprehended." He said

A low groan rose in Calleigh throat, great, she would spend the next few days trapped in some half star hotel in the worst parts of Miami not allowed to leave her room for fear of being killed by a cousin with a grudge the size of Texas. The worst part of that was not the hotel, she would have spent time in worse, but the being alone with naught but her own thoughts to accompany her and at this point her thoughts were quickly becoming dangerous. Horatio seemed to read her mind and he said quietly "You're coming home with me. You can stay at my place until we catch him, the others will take shifts being with you until then."

Some distant part of Calleigh was overjoyed that she would get to be with Horatio but for the moment she was pleased that he had said 'being with you' instead of 'protecting you' it made her feel slightly less useless "Do you have any idea how he found out your address?" Horatio asked, trying to keep Calleigh from becoming absorbed in her own mind.

"The Yellow Pages." She said dully "It's the most obvious answer and Tristan never was one for making things more complicated than they needed to be."

"Makes sense." Horatio said, Tristan could have shot Calleigh in the supermarket but he needed to make sure that it was her. From there he could have followed her home or, as Calleigh said, looked up her address. However Tristan's plan did have one flaw, his first attempt would have had to succeed or else things would become a lot more complicated for him. The most obvious way to draw him back out again would be to provide him with an easy target.

He shook his head because he wouldn't place Calleigh in danger like that, not with the chance that she could die at the hands of that monster "Calleigh." He started "Could you tell me what kind of gun he was using?"

Even though Calleigh felt numb of every emotion that part of her brain that was and always would be the ballistics expert began to whir. It was defiantly an automatic weapon but unlike the gun she had fired it was probably a rifle or some sort. Her first thought was a Beretta but the sound had been to hollow for that. Next she jumped to a Browning but that did seem right, then she decided that it was probably a SIG SG 510, an older type of gun but easier to ship into the United State illegally "SIG SG 510." She said "He probably bought it off the street somewhere, they're not that hard to find if you know where to look."

"Where would you go?" Horatio asked

This was a good question because Calleigh was first a female and most arms dealers wouldn't sell to girl but Tristan was a male and had a slightly intimidating build. However he had a more pronounced accent than Calleigh so that would eliminate a few dealers from interacting with him. There was one man who would sell any gun, no matter how rare or how dangerous to the first person to name a good price "Joey Montenegro." She said "Works out of a bar by the Keys called Lou's. He's the only person that would sell something like that to a newbie without knowing more about him. That gun probably has half a dozen bodies on it but no way to connect it to Joey or anyone else."

"Thank you" Horatio said "I'll send Eric and Ryan there to pick him up now." He said

Calleigh nodded, the simple mindlessness of which she worked with ballistics was a comfort and she kept that in mind if she ever needed to stop thinking and just get through the darkness. A sudden tiredness swept over Calleigh and she let out a big yawn. At this point Horatio said "Get some rest sweetheart, I'll be here." She nodded but before she could finish the nod she felt herself slipping into the abyss.

* * *

Tristan Burns flew down the express way pushing ninety in a forty five mile zone but he didn't care if he got pulled over, he would just shoot that cops anyway. His eyes glanced over at the gun laying in the passenger seat, it was a great work of art to be quite honest. However the aim had been off and he wasn't quite sure if Calleigh Duquesne was dead. Already his mind was beginning to form another plan except first he had to dump this gun.

He took a sharp left and found himself on small service road that led away from the highway. It wound around for about ten minutes and he made a series of left and right turns before he realized that he was now in the middle of the Everglades. He stopped his car and stepped out and into the cool night air letting the light breeze blow his jacket off his body slightly. Looking around he saw the headlights of another car coming his way and he suddenly knew what he had to do.

He waited for the car to roll to a stop and the driver to roll down his window before he pulled out his hand gun. He had decided that lugging an automatic rifle around might attract some attention so he had purchased a Glock from the dude in the bar "Get out." He growled "Now."

The driver just looked at him, as if confused what having a gun in her face meant "Don't you get it?" He asked "Get out or I'll blow your head off and then take you out of the car."

The driver just smirked, sitting behind the wheel over her blue Saab she slowly reached for the door but at the last second he had darted down and she pulled out a gun of her own. In one swift movement she slammed her door open and knocked Tristan off his feet, his gun clattering beneath his car "You're a bit new to this aren't you?" she growled, her voice ever so hinted with an Irish accent and she picked up his gun and the automatic rifle in the passenger seat. Again she spoke and as she did so she fired three shots, two taking out his tires and a third came oh so close to hitting his head but just grazed his ear "Next time you might not be so lucky." She said as she got back in her car, her voice calm as ever

As she turned her car around she rolled down the passenger side window and said "And FYI your safety was still on." And with that she sped off and out of sight.

Cursing himself as he stood up Tristan looked at his car, which now had two flat tires and wouldn't be going anywhere "Out of all the people." He muttered as he tried to figure out what the hell to do now that he was stranded, car less and weapon less in the Everglades.

* * *

**Hey! This chapter was sort of a filler but I hope you liked it. Anyway the first person to tell me who that female who Tristan tried to car jack was there will be some sort of prize. Here at the clues I gave plus one: **

**1) Drives a blue Saab **

**2) Irish **

**3) Knows her way around guns and explosives **

**And the one clue I'm giving you that wasn't in the story: **

**4) The show she is on also takes place in Miami. **

**I'm not sure if anyone here knows it but if you do then yay! As for Tristan I'm more than satisfied to let him get eaten by the alligators but that would put a rather abrupt end to this story so I am asking my readers do you want him to: **

**A) Get picked up by a random person driving I the everglades and taken back into Miami**

**B) Get caught by the cops after the mysterious driver alerts them to his presence **

**Or **

**C) Other. **

**Thanks, **

**AllOverTheWorld **


	9. Can't

**Title: Solace **

**Author: AllOverTheWorld **

**Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh**

**Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to? **

**Authors Notes: muddpuppy19, ladyd10, Amythest Lilly, Enanfran, Pinkyster, Arlene, NiteJasmine, LA Calleigh, Turbidblue and Sinise's beast for all reviewing. Also for those of you who guessed about the mystery woman at the end of the last chapter the winner is…. Muddpuppy19 for being the first to guess that it was Fiona Glenanne from Burn Notice (My all time favorite show by the way!). **

* * *

"Joey Montenegro." Eric said as he walked into the interrogation room, Ryan right behind him "You're in a lot of trouble."

"What for?" the short, balding, Italian arms dealer asked, beads of sweat dribbling down his forehead "I did do nothing wrong?"

"So selling an illegal weapon to someone without a license who then used that weapon to try and kill our friend isn't doing anything wrong?" Eric asked

"Hell you talking about? I don't even know how to shoot a gun much less how to sell 'em illegally." The man protested.

"Listen, just stop the bullshit. We know that you sold a SIG SG 510 to a man named Tristan Burns sometime in the past two days." Ryan said "So why don't you make it easier for yourself and just tell us what you remember about this guy, along with any other weapons you sold him."

"What do I get out of it?" Joey asked, sighing in defeat.

"If you give us anything useful we'll only charge you with possession of an illegal, unregistered weapon instead of being an accomplice on the attempted murder of a police officer." Ryan suggested

"Fine." Joey said "Look, this guy came into the bar and said that he knew I could hook him with some fire power. He offered me ten grand for an automatic rifle and a Glock, best deal I'd seen in a week so I took it."

"This guy have a name?" Eric asked

Joey shook his head "Not that he told me but he was driving a Mustang GT, I thought it was a bit flashy for that part of Miami."

"What color was it?" Eric asked

"I think it was black, black or a dark grey color." Joey replied "Can I go now?" he asked as Eric and Ryan walked out of the interrogation room.

"Nope!" Ryan called as the door shut behind them, he then turned to Eric "You want to call H and tell him that Calleigh was right about Joey?"

Eric shrugged "Sure." He said and was about to pull out his phone when it started vibrating "Speak of the devil." He laughed and picked it up "Hey H, I was just about to call you, turns out Calleigh was right about Joey selling a gun to Tristan. Joey sold an automatic rifle and a Glock to Tristan Burns for ten thousand dollars."

"_That's good news. Listen I just got a call from an" Horatio paused only briefly "acquaintance who told me that a man, driving the car matching the description of Tristan Burns' car, just tried to car jack her on a road in the everglades." _

"Tried to carjack her?" Eric asked into the mouthpiece

"_Let's just say that she can handle herself. Can you and Ryan go out to the Everglades exit off of the main highway, the exit just Coral Gables and see what you can find. His car's not going anywhere but he might." _

"Sure thing H." Eric said and hung up and turned to Ryan "Horatio got a lead on where Tristan Burns might be and he wants us to check it out."

"Let's go." Ryan said and together they headed out to the hummers.

* * *

Horatio hung up the phone and turned to look at Calleigh who was sleeping peacefully in the passenger seat of his hummer. Even if it was a brief reprieve from all of the madness that had been consuming her, Horatio was content to just drive around Miami, somehow the driving seemed to keep Calleigh calm enough to sleep. Content, that was something neither of them had been in a very long time, longer than just after this madness had started.

For years they had seen the worst things that one human could do to another person and they had never actually dealt with it. Maybe it was the fact that the murders never stopped, it was one of the few consistencies in their lives. Shaking his head Horatio pushed those thoughts from his mind and focused on driving, right now the last thing he needed was a mental breakdown of his own. As he pulled into his parking space he heard Calleigh begin to stir.

At first it just sounded like she was simply waking up but then he heard a fearful whimper escape her lips and she began to struggle against her seat belt. She began to fight and pull at the restraint and she cried out "Let go of me!"

Not even bothering to turn the engine off Horatio leaned over and released Calleigh from the restraining effects of her seatbelt. At this point it did little to help her because she continued fighting her invisible attacker until her eyes snapped open. Her green eyes were shining with fear as she looked around in panic "Calleigh." Horatio said gently

Her head whipped around and she looked at him strangely for a moment before realizing who was in the car with her "Horatio." She choked out "I'm- I'm sorry."

Taking her up in his arms he whispered "You have nothing to be sorry about sweetheart."

"One moment I'm fine and the next _he's _there." She said in between sobs

Horatio nodded "He can't hurt you anymore." He whispered

The position the two CSI's were currently sitting in was an awkward one with Horatio leaning over from the drivers seat and holding Calleigh gently against his chest as she fought to compose herself from the passenger seat. Finally Calleigh's breathing regulated enough to a point where she too realized how awkward this position must be for Horatio, with the arm rest sticking into his stomach as he leaned over to comfort her. As she extracted herself from his arms she muttered "You do too much for me." Just low enough that she thought he wouldn't hear, but he did.

As Horatio opened the passenger side door he answered "It's never to much if its for you."

Calleigh looked at him "Why do you do all of this for me?" she asked honestly

Horatio leaned against the inside of door and looked at Calleigh, marveling for a moment at how even after being almost killed twice she still managed to look somewhat composed "Calleigh" he started "You're one of the most confident, brilliant, gorgeous women I have ever met and to know that someone caused you so much pain make me so angry."

Calleigh looked away, she had been fearing this because she knew that Horatio was ashamed of her for begin so weak. Tears sprung to her eyes and she blinked rapidly hoping to keep them at bay while Horatio, realizing the implications of what he had just said he put on hand under her chin and tilted it towards him "I'm not angry at you, sweetheart, I could never be angry at you. I'm angry that someone in the world had the audacity to rip you down from the pedestal you should be on. I would do anything for you Calleigh, I love you."

"Horatio." She whispered "I-I-I cant, I'm sorry."

More tears leaked down her face as she turned away from Horatio, the man she should love. The man she should love but couldn't. Even after all the compassion and tenderness he had shown her, Gunnar had still so destroyed her ability to trust anyone she couldn't even trust Horatio. After basically rejecting Horatio she expected some form of angry, rage, heart break, something but instead all she got was understanding.

_I can't_. Those two words echoed in Horatio's mind and even as his heart was breaking he knew that somehow this wasn't Calleigh fault, or maybe he was now in denial "It's okay, let's get you inside." He said and helped Calleigh out of the van.

* * *

**Oh no! Horatio's heart is breaking after he professes his love for Calleigh and damn, well Calleigh feels bad. Kind of an odd chapter, hard to write but I got it out. I do know that I owe you guys more updates for my other stories but due to some unfortunate Post-Thanksgiving illnesses that struck my entire family I was unable to write as much as I wanted. **

**And what on earth happened to Tristan?**

**Thanks for reading!**

**AllOverTheWorld**


	10. To Strangers and Broken GPS's Everywhere

**Title: Solace **

**Author: AllOverTheWorld **

**Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh**

**Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to? **

**Authors Notes: Thanks to Pinkyster, LA Calleigh, ajay1960 and muddpuppy19 for all reviewing! **

* * *

Tristan's ear was burning with such white hot searing ferocity he didn't even know was possible "_thanks for five older brothers" _he thought as he walked down the dusty road.

His left ear was bleeding profusely and he had resorted to walking shirtless down the mosquito filled Everglades in order to try and stop the bleeding. Unfortunately for him he was still leaving a relatively noticeable blood trail and if that stupid bitch he had tried to car jack called the cops, well then he was screwed. All of this seemed to have a certain irony to it and he figured karma might as well hit him now then later, when he really was on the run from the cops. Nevertheless the pain was quickly becoming more than he could handle and as he gently dabbed at the wound he realized that it had also skimmed his head, just barely. Whoever that woman had been, she was a damn good shot _"A few more centimeters to the right and I was a dead man."_

The moon was high in the sky at this point and he really had no real clue how to get back into Miami where he needed to regroup with himself, get this wound looked at and figure out how next to try and kill Calleigh Duquesne and that damn Lieutenant that was always by her side. Shaking his head, then instantly regretting that decision he paused for a moment to let his vision stop spinning. At that moment he heard the sound of a car coming out of the blackness. Silently he slipped into the patch of darkness to his left and hoped that he was walking in on some bear, or worse, an alligator. As the car passed him he realized that it was not the Miami Dade PD but instead some country hick taking a ride.

Stepping out into the road he flailed his arms as much as possible and tried to get the damn pick up trucks attention. Lucky for him it stopped, turned around and came back to where he stood, panting and clutching at his ear "Sir" he gasped (although sir was a bit of an overstatement for the gentleman sitting in the driver seat)

"Well what the hell happened to you?" the driver asked, eyeing the blood soaked t-shirt Tristan clutched to his ear.

"Run in with an ex-girl friend." He quickly lied

"Out here?" the driver questioned, with a raised eye brow. The driver looked to be in his mid thirties or early forties with scraggly brown hair with a wispy beard that barely clung to his chin and the kind of eyes that betrayed the fact he was probably much smarter than he appeared to be.

"Long story." Tristan sighed, faking a smile.

"I know the story, you want me to take you to a hospital?"

Tristan shook his head "Just back into Miami would be nice, I wasn't planning on getting kicked out of the car halfway into the damn Everglades." He said as he clambered into the car and settled down onto the worn passenger seat.

"Name Jason Bly, what's yours?" Jason asked as he pressed the gas pedal and the old pick up truck roared into life again.

"Blaine, Blaine Nixon." He lied, again, this time using his eldest brothers first name and Gunnar's last name.

"Alright Blaine, whatcha doing in Miami?"

"How do you know I don't live here?"

Jason turned to him "Believe me, I know. 'Sides, you sound like you from Louisiana round about."

"Good guess." Tristan laughed and the small talk between the two strangers continued on as they got nearer Miami.

* * *

"You had to pick the Hummer with the broken GPs didn't you Delko." Ryan said angrily.

"Don't blame me!" Eric retorted. It was late, pushing eleven thirty and the two CSI's were lost but both refused to call Natalia to admit it "How many roads could there possibly be that go off of the expressway and directly into the Everglades?"

"Apparently more than one." Ryan muttered "Look, someone needs to call Natalia and tell her we are lost so she can tell us where the damn car is."

"We're not lost, we're just not at the crime scene."

"Right. So if we're not lost how do we get back to Miami?"

"Turn around, follow the road and keep going towards the big lights in front of us, simple." Eric said and soon after he finished speaking Ryan's phone rang.

Digging it out of his pocket he took one look at the caller ID and said "It's Natalia, its for you."

"I'm not taking it!" Eric said "Talking on the phone and driving isn't safe, it's illegal."

"Okay, how about this. You pick it up and tell her we are lost and then I'll arrest you and you can process the crime scene in handcuffs."

"Whatever Wolfe" Eric huffed as he picked up the phone "Hey Natalia."

"_Where are you guys?" she asked, sounding exasperated "Some poor uni has been out at Burns' car for hours waiting for you two to get there. He waited so long that he called me, and I am now processing Tristan's car, alone. Plus I've been calling you two for ages, I was beginning to freak out!" _

"Cell phone service goes in and out when you're lost in the Everglades!" Ryan called from the passenger seat which earned him a glare from Eric who responded

"Um, yea, we're lost."

"_What, wait, and lemme guess. Neither of you wanted to call me and admit you got lost. Such men." She said sighing "I'll pull up the tracking on your Hummer and tell you guys how to get to me." _

"Thanks." Eric sighed and waited for her to give him directions.

Twenty five minutes later the Hummer pulled up to the scene where flood lights blasted the car and its surroundings with light and Natalia was photographing the scene. As she heard their arrival she turned "Thanks for coming, I wasn't sure if I could spend another moment with officer orderly over there. Won't say a word to me, it's against his duty or something."

Both Eric and Ryan laughed as they finally started processing the crime scene. It was silent for a while as Eric looked for fibers inside the car and Ryan investigated the perimeter "You saw this blood trail right?" he asked Natalia.

"No" she replied sarcastically "I completely missed the giant chunk of ear sitting on the road. Anyway I was going to follow the blood trail but I can't do that alone so…" she trailed off

"Don't send Eric out there, he'll get lost." Ryan joked

"Shut it Wolfe, I'm telling you that wasn't my fault!" Eric said exasperatedly "If you're that concerned you and Natalia follow it."

They did and Eric watched as the two disappeared into the night, pulling out his phone he then proceeded to dial Horatio's number.

"_Yes Eric, did you make it to the crime scene?" Horatio answered, quieter than normal due to the fact Calleigh was finally asleep in his bed and he was lying next to her. _

"It took a while but we got there in the end, I'm tell you that GPs needs to get fixed. Anyway that's not why I called. Ryan and Natalia are following a blood trail that seems to be coming from a wounded ear."

"_Wounded ear?" _

"Seems like it was shot off."

_Horatio laughed, he needed to thank Fiona for her help at the next chance he got but for now "Alright, send an alert out to all the ER's, if the wound is as bad as it looks then he is going to need some medical attention sooner or later." _

"Will do H. How's Calleigh?" Eric asked, the concern unmistakable in his voice.

_For some reason the concern Horatio heard in Eric's voice made him jealous, maybe it was the fact he knew the Cuban had feelings for Calleigh that extended beyond the workplace "She's asleep at the moment, getting as much sleep as possible is the best thing." _

Eric was about to respond when there was a unmistakable whimper on the other end followed by the sound of someone struggling with more, added, whimpers. Pangs of jealous rose through Eric as he envisioned Horatio there to hold Calleigh, comfort her and then the sound of a dial tone shook him out of his thoughts and he resumed working the crime scene.

* * *

"Stop! Let me go Gunnar!" Calleigh shouted into the darkness as she awoke, still half dreaming but fully entangled in her, Horatio's rather, sheets.

Her blond hair was matted to her forehead as she desperately struggled to free herself to no avail and the tears that ran down her face were quickly become more numerous. Then suddenly the soft touch of Horatio's hand on her shoulder and his voice saying "Calleigh, sweetheart, it's only a dream. You're safe."

As she slowly began to realize where she was the sobs of shame and embarrassment clung to her. How could he still care this deeply for her after her rejection? Horatio had told her that he loved her and all she had said was 'I can't." She didn't dissever his comforts.

Shying away from his touch Calleigh curled her self into a ball and lay there on the sheets with the tears falling silently down her face. The funny thing is that Horatio seemed to know exactly what she was thinking "I know why you said you can't love me." He said gently, not accusatory, just stating a truth.

Calleigh glanced at him.

"He broke your trust and a man should never do that to woman, not on the level he did to you sweetheart. I don't care if you ever can love me just know and understand that I will _always _be here for you, no matter what."

Unwrapping herself from herself Calleigh sat up against the headboards and began to speak in shaky words "I know." She said softly "You always have been there, after every case, every disaster I've gone through, you're there, just like my guns."

Horatio's heart soared but outwardly he kept the same calm, comforting demeanor. Calleigh's words were more than enough because she loved guns, she trusted guns, she went to bullets and bangs when she was upset and he was like that to her. It was all he needed. Slowly he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and to his relief and surprise she didn't resist it but instead leaned into his chest and allowed herself to fall back asleep.

* * *

**YAY! Well, Calleigh and Horatio are on the right track, it will just take time. Another chapter done and we are edging slowly closer to the close of our story. Don't worry we still have A LOT to go through before we get there but I have figured out how it's going to end, now it's just a matter of writing it all. Anyway please please please keep reviewing, they really do make my day and I try my best to reply to ALL. **

**AllOverTheWorld **


	11. Can't Refuse a Direct Order from the Top

**Title: Solace **

**Author: AllOverTheWorld **

**Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh**

**Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to? **

**Authors Notes: Thanks to Amythest Lilly, calleigh16, mmooch, Pinkyster, NiteJasmie and ajay1960 for review the last chapter. AND holy crap, this is chapter eleven! I cant believe it! Sorry, I just had to get that out there but I am totally psyched that I have written this much! :D **

* * *

Tristan Burns' head hurt, his ear hurt, hell, his whole body seemed to ache from days without the proper rest and recovery it demanded. As he now wandered the streets of Miami aimlessly he began to wonder if this entire situation was no more than a lost cause, Calleigh was too well protected by that red-headed bastard and he was weaponless. For a brief moment he thought about turning himself in, that way there might be some leniency but all things considered he could hear the charges against him now: attempted murder of two Miami Dade police officers being the biggest and the most severe but he knew that as soon as they started digging they would find a whole lot more. For example the identity he had stolen, some surfer in California named Dante Green, or the money he had stolen from his eldest brother's bank account to fund this little disaster but it all lead to the same conclusion, he was going to jail for a very _very _long time. This in mind he decided to just finish it all the way he and Gunnar had planned it all.

However if he wanted to that he would need to take a few risks, for example, go to an emergency room to get his wound looked at. Albeit dangerous if he was going to try and kill Calleigh he needed to be able to see straight and not have to walk around holding a blood soaked t-shirt to his head, Jason had given him a 'clean' one from the back of his truck so he had something to wear.

Now that he had some sort of plan Tristan decided to figure out where the hell he was and as it turned out, lucky for him, he was right by a hospital. He aimed for the red light rimmed entrance of Miami General's emergency room entrance and within minutes he was entering the air conditioned hallway that would take him to the waiting room. As he stepped across the threshold the blast of cold air hit him like a wall and that combined with the bright lights reflecting of the white washed walls and constant chatter made his head spin. He leaned against the wall for a moment, allowing his body and brain to adapt before walking up to the security desk.

Keeping his head down and away from the camera he asked "Where's the ER?"

The woman looked at him curiously for a moment, as if she had never seen a man with a bleeding head wound before but decided it was nothing new before answering "Straight down the hall and the waiting room is on your left. Check in at the front desk then wait for your name to be called."

Grunting his thanks Tristan turned away and slowly made his way into the waiting room where he walked up to the nearest nurse "I need to get this looked at." He said urgently, revealing the head trauma.

She looked at it for a moment "I'm sorry sir but there is a line of people all saying the same thing you just said. Please take a number and wait for it to be called, then proceed to the desk and give your medical information."

"What? I don't have time-, I'm bleeding for christssake!" Tristan said, raising his voice slightly.

The nurse just sighed, she dealt with people like this man everyday "I understand sir. Now go sit down before I have security escort you from the premises."

"Whatever." Tristan said and muttering curses under his breath he scanned the crowded waiting room for a decent seat and decided on the one closest to an exit and right next a security officer, an officer who carried a gun.

* * *

Frank Tripp sat at his desk staring at the same form he had been looking at half an hour ago, he just wasn't motivated in any way to fill out the stacks and stacks of paper work he had waiting for him. The lab was quiet, it was still early in the morning and most of the day shift was still arriving but had come in early, in hopes of getting something from the night shift, plus Natalia, who had worked all night on the evidence from Tristan Burns' car. While they found plenty of prints belonging to both Burns and Nixon along with a confirmation that the blood was indeed Burns' there was still nothing to tell them where he had gone after disappearing into a vehicle, who's treads Natalia was still matching.

It seemed like they had hit a dead end and that would not please Horatio one bit, some psycho was out there trying to kill one of his own, although Frank had long suspected Calleigh more than just a member of the team to Horatio, but they had nothing on his location. Sighing agitatedly Frank threw the pen down on his desk and rubbed his eyes, it had been a stressful past few days. Then his phone began to ring, not his cell phone but the phone on his desk, immediately he wondered if Burns had finally checked into a hospital "Tripp." He said into the line

"Hi" a female voice said "I'm a nurse at Miami General Emergency Room and a man matching the description of the suspect you guys put an alert out on has just entered the vicinity."

Franks heart pounded in his chest, this was a lead, something solid and good "Are you sure ma'am?"

"Yes, he has a head wound and seems to be missing the top part of his ear and he also speaks with a southern accent."

"That sounds like our guy. Can you do me a favor?"

"Of course sir."

"Delay him as long as possible without making him suspicious. We will be arriving shortly to apprehend him."

"No problem sir." The nurse said and hung up.

Frank smiled grimly and walked to the break room where he found Natalia fast asleep on the couch, she deserved it after the night she'd had and as much as he didn't want to wake her he asked "Natalia"

She jumped up, startled out her sleep "Gosh, I'm so sorry. I just put my head down-"

Frank interjected "I just need to know if you've seen Delko."

"Oh" Natalia said, obviously relieved to not be in trouble "Yeah, he's been here all night as well. Check the trace lab."

"Thanks." Frank said and turned out of the room to head to trace. Lucky for him Eric was there and he simply said "Delko, come with me."

"Where're we going?"

"Horatio's place. The chief wants him on the collar of Tristan Burns so you're going to be staying with Calleigh while we go do that."

Eric was secretly pleased at the time he would get to spend with Calleigh, so he could be the one to comfort her and hold her "Does Horatio know this?"

"Not yet." Frank said as he clambered into the drivers sear of the hummer.

"Oh great." Eric sighed "He's going to be thrilled at leaving Calleigh." He said as the hummer's engine roared and Frank dialed Horatio's number.

* * *

Horatio Caine was sleeping gently in an upright position with Calleigh resting gently on lap; she had drifted from his chest to his lap over the course of the night and early morning. His hand was resting comfortingly and protectively on her back when the soft vibrations of his phone woke him up. Moving as slowly and carefully as he could, so as to not wake up Calleigh, he picked it up and said "Hey, Frank, how can I help you?"

"_Morning Horatio, sorry to wake you but we have a solid lead on Tristan Burns' location." _

"Great. Where is he?"

"_Miami General's Emergency Room, they're holding him up as long as possible but they can only do that for so long before he gets paranoid and leaves." _

"Then head over there." Horatio suggested.

"_I am but I have to come pick you up." _

Horatio sat up a little straighter and this movement woke Calleigh who rolled sleepily off of Horatio and pushed herself into a sitting position "Why are you coming to pick me up?"

"_Chief wants you on this collar." _

Chief. He couldn't argue with a direct order from the chief of police, although why he wanted Horatio on this collar was beyond his scope of reason "Who's going to stay with Calleigh, I'm not leaving her alone."

"_I know that, that's why I'm bringing Eric. He cant stay with Calleigh." _

Horatio groaned inwardly, out of all the people Frank could have chosen it had to be Eric. Horatio didn't have anything against Eric, really he didn't but the Cuban obviously had feelings for Calleigh and Horatio didn't trust Eric not to try and act on them. Not that he thought Eric was insensitive to how Calleigh was feeling but he didn't _really _understand how she was feeling, what she was going through "How far away are you?" he asked, not showing his true emotions about the entire matter.

"_About five." _

"Thanks for the warning." Horatio muttered "I'll see you in five." He said and hung up. Turning to Calleigh he could see all the confusion plainly on her face "Sweetheart, I have to go pick up Tristan Burns."

"You do?" she asked, stressing the _you_ because like Horatio she didn't understand why it had to be Horatio.

"It's a direct order from the chief, I can't argue with it." He said as he slid out of bed and walked over to his wardrobe.

Calliegh sighed and let her head rest on the pillow, her thoughts were in turmoil. She knew Eric had feelings for her, she had known it for a long time but right now she didn't want to deal with his attempts at comfort. She wasn't comfortable with him being there, seeing her like this but she wasn't ready to put on a brave face and spend a few hours alone with.

Horatio seemed to sense her apprehension and, with his shirt still unbuttoned and not undone, he sat down next to her on the bed "I don't like it either."

She turned to look at him, resting on one elbow.

"Frank and Eric are more than capable of picking up an injured suspect on their own."

"I agree." She said quietly, then with a sort of false confidence in her voice she added "I'll be fine, it's just Eric."

'_Exactly what I'm worried about.'_ Horatio thought but asked her "Are you going to be okay with just him here."

She paused knowing that she should say yes but she just couldn't so instead she just nodded, hoping it would suffice. It didn't.

"I don't have to go." He said

"Of course you do." She countered "It's a direct order from the chief, you can't just ignore it."

"For you, I would."

"I'll be fine." She said, more trying to convince herself than Horatio.

He knew this and, knowing she would never let him stay decided to give her the next best thing to his actual presence. He back over to his wardrobe and reached into the bottom drawer and pulled out what she recognized to be a Browning GP hand gun.

She saw the gesture he was making, giving her his gun and knew that it was a huge step to just give someone your gun like that but she just couldn't shake the notion of what she was supposed to do with, so she joked "What, you want me to shoot Eric for you?" she said as she slipped it into the holster she had re-clipped at her side.

"If you want to." He said with a smiled, noticing how her hand never left the grip of the gun as they made their way to the living room to wait for Frank and Eric's arrival.

It came as soon as they had sat down in on the sofa, a sharp knock on the door and Eric's voice "Horatio, we're here."

Calleigh pushed down the nerves as Horatio went to let Eric in and she followed him to the door. Once Eric was inside she thought that Horatio was just going to leave but, of course, he didn't. He walked over to her and embraced her in a hug which she gladly returned. They lingered for a moment before Eric coughed and Horatio backed away whispering "Love you sweetheart." As he did so. Then moments later, he was gone, leaving Eric and Calleigh alone and uncomfortable.

* * *

**There you have it! The next chapter is a bigger but wont get posted until Saturday afternoon/evening because I have to go to another college visit and wont be able to update Friday. So, what do you think about this mess, Eric and Calleigh alone (of course Calleigh's armed but…) will Eric do something stupid or will he respect what is so obviously meant to be? **

**Thanks for reading, **

_**AllOverTheWorld **_


	12. Mistakes Made and Plans Unknown

**Title: Solace **

**Author: AllOverTheWorld **

**Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh**

**Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to? **

**Authors Notes: Thanks once again to mmooch, muddpuppy19, Amythest Lilly, sunshinebulletgirl, Pinkyster, Arlene, LA Calleigh, Elrond peredhel for all reviewing! Anyway my college visit was a blast but this chapter was fun to write as well! **

* * *

As soon as the door shut behind Horatio, Calleigh wished he was back here, with her. It sounds bad and it's not that she didn't like Eric, he was a nice guy but at the present moment she wasn't emotionally stable enough to handle him and his, well, him. With one hand resting lightly on the grip of Horatio's gun for comfort she turned and made a move to walk into the living room. As she passed Eric he placed a hand on her shoulder and asked "How are you?"

She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, the contact from Eric shouldn't be doing this to her but even as she fought to keep her sky rocketing pulse under control she said "I'm fine."

"People have tried to kill you Calleigh, you can't go around ignoring that fact." He said

"Just drop it Eric." She said warningly, not sure how much longer she could fend off the urge to either shoot him or break down in tears.

"Fine." He muttered, annoyed, this was not going the way he wanted at all and Eric was pretty sure he knew why.

"Do you want something to drink?" Calleigh asked, with her back to Eric as she moved around Horatio's small, but well organized, kitchen gathering the supplies to make tea.

Eric walked up behind her, joining her in the cramped kitchen, and said "Why don't you let me do that?"

He was too close. She could feel the heat radiating off him and, god, the breath on the back of her neck was just like Gunnar. Swallowing a burst of fear she said "I'm not an invalid Eric. I'm perfectly capable of making tea."

Sensing her agitation Eric took a few steps back "You just seem very tense, you're supposed to be relaxing."

Turning to glare at him she said "I am fine. Why don't you just go and sit down on the couch, you're supposed to be protecting me from mad gun men." She said as she turned back around "Not that I need it." She muttered to the teapot.

Unfortunately for her Eric heard this last remark and he before he could stop himself he said "So I suppose the bullet holes in your fridge are just for fun, trying out a new type of interior design for the Hummer, I'm sure the criminals will love sitting on shards of broken glass."

Turning to face him once again Calleigh wasn't quite sure what to say, all she knew was that she was angry at Eric because that comment was completely unwarranted "Leave." She said dangerously quite, once again hiding the fact she was fighting with her emotions to keep self control.

"Calleigh I'm sorry." He said, moving towards her once again "I'm just worried about you."

'_More like jealous.'_ She thought to herself but instead backed up slightly, trying to keep a safe distance from Eric as he walked closer to her (right now her mind was quickly loosing control as she kept thinking about Gunnar, how similar in height and build he and Eric were.)

"I can't leave." He said "Horatio would kill me." As he once again came much to close to her for her own comfort.

She turned around grabbed the teapot so she could fill it with water and as she stood at the sink Eric moved in behind her "You don't have to be scared." He said, his voice low "I wont hurt you like _he _did, you can trust me."

Before Calleigh could control it she was back in that stingy apartment, thirteen years ago:

"_You can trust me Calleigh baby, you know you can." Gunnar said as walked up behind Calleigh and wrapped his arms around her stomach, holding her to him. _

_Closing her eyes Calleigh begged herself to have the courage to kick in as hard as she could and flee from this cage of an apartment. He placed soft kisses on her neck but when she didn't lean into them or make any attempt to seek more after he stopped, Gunnar let out an angry growl. Turning her around with one powerful arm Gunnar pinned her against the kitchen counter and said angrily "Don't you love me?" She nodded disjointedly but that wasn't enough and there was an echoing crack as his hand connected with her face. _

Her eyes snapped open ad Calleigh realized that she had dropped the teapot on the floor and that it had shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. Worse than that Eric was trying to hold her, a vain attempt to calm her down because even as she struggled he just tightened his grip, again to comfort her and that sent her back into the nightmares.

_Grabbing her arm in his vice like grip Gunnar twisted it behind her back as he pushed Calleigh towards the bedroom. She stumbled as he let go and he let out a sharp, bark like laugh as she slammed into the wall and fell to the floor. As she lay there the pain from all her other bruises and cuts seemed to intensify ten fold but that didn't stop him from pulling her up and once again pushing her into the direction of the bedroom. _

Not realizing where she was or who was holding her, tightly against them, Calleigh lashed out with a vicious kick to a place where the sun don't shine and was relieved when the grip around her slackened and she squirmed free of it.

_He pushed her up against the bedroom door, holding it shut and his mouth crashed down onto hers. She tried to turn her head away but the hand not holding the door shut wove its way into her hair and forced it still. "You know you like this baby." He whispered into her ear _

"Calleigh!" someone called, pain in their voice but it iddnt register and she turned, needing to get awa

Her hand landed on the grip of the gun in her holster and she pulled it out, the feeling of it sending calming waves through her body but doing little to help her over all. Tears blurring her vision she fought off the urge to pull the trigger as she was sucked into yet another flash back:

"_You're late." He snarled from the sofa as he stood up and walked over to her "I thought you were just going to get some groceries." _

"_I-I-I was." She stammered "It just took longer than I thought." _

"_Bullshit." He said quietly and ripped the bags from her hand and, then proceeded to push her, hard. As she stumbled backwards into the wall, her head snapped back and black spots appeared in front of her vision as Gunnar once again pulled her to her feet. _

Someone grabbed her arm, although at this point Calleigh was so far gone that she was back in that apartment with Gunnar. She turned and, still with the gun in her hand she lashed out and the sound of someone groaning in pain went unnoticed because all she really felt was the lack of pressure on her arm and she took off down the hall.

* * *

Although Horatio and Frank were still three blocks from the hospital Frank turned the sirens off, the last thing they needed was Tristan running or doing something much stupider. As the two entered the ER they were met by a security guard and a nurse, the nurse identified herself as he caller and after gushing her relief at their presence she led them towards the ER waiting room.

The nurse pointed Tristan out, sitting next to a guard by the back exit. As he set eyes on Tristan, Horatio noticed that his eyes were slightly glazed and one side of his head was matted with dried blood and his hands were also covered in blood "That's him." Horatio said to Frank and both men started to pull out their weapons.

However nothing in life ever comes easy and this collar was no exception. Tristan saw the movement of the cops out of the corner of his eye and, although severely light headed he reached out and grabbed the security guards gun. At the same time he stood up and grabbed the nurse who was leading a small boy to go and get an x-ray for his arm. Pressing the gun into her head he looked at Horatio "It seems we have a problem don't we Caine."

"She's innocent Tristan, let her go."

"Right, she's innocent just like Calleigh is." He replied "I know this bitch called you guys, I saw her dial that phone right after she sat me down."

Frank and Horatio shared a glance "Then why stay?" Horatio asked

Tristan laughed "That parts easy. You see the only way to finish what my cousin started is to hurt Calleigh but thanks to you that's impossible. So, as I was sitting here in this dump I realized that the only way to do that is to hurt the only person she trusts is you. I shoot you, she feels guilty, heart broken, whatever and I win."

"You think you're going to be able to just shoot him?" Frank asked

Tristan shook his head "I'm in a room full of people, all I have to do is shoot one and Calleigh's little heart will break. She was never good with the whole guilt thing, I mean all Gunnar had to do was throw a guilt trip and she'd stay."

Horatio resisted the urge to pull the trigger "You're not going to hurt anyone. Let all these people go and you can have me."

"Horatio what the hell-" Frank said but caught the look in Horatio's eye, Horatio had a plan all Frank had to do was figure it out.

* * *

**Well, well, well, surprised that Eric managed to screw up? The only problem is that the only man who can save Calleigh from the nightmares is currently in a bit of a sticky situation. On that note…WHAT THE HELL IS HORATIO THINKING? Seriously now, what possible plan can Horatio have that involves him, alone, unarmed, with a mad man who wants to kill him? **

_**AllOverTheWorld **_


	13. Shot Fired on the Bathroom Floor

**Title: Solace **

**Author: AllOverTheWorld **

**Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh**

**Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to? **

**Authors Notes: Thanks to sunshinebulletgirl, LA Calleigh, NiteJasmine, Amythest Lilly, Pinkyster, ladyd10, ajay10 and muddpupp10 for all reviewing! Anywho, I would like to mention that as far as I know they never actually give Horatio's address so for my purposes I made it up. Nor do I know anything about Miami streets so that to is made up. **

* * *

Horatio was going to kill him, Eric just knew it as he slowly pulled himself up from the ground. His groin was still radiating pain from where Calleigh had kicked him but currently that was not his biggest problem. Taking a shaky step Eric proceeded to attempt and find out where Calleigh had gone to after taking him out with a rather painful kick. He had been in a mind blowing pain for about two minutes, maybe more and it was only after that period of time he started to regain enough composure to realize that Calleigh had fled the kitchen.

"Calleigh!" he called out slowly, not sure if she was still in the throws of a flashback or just recovering but when he heard nothing he started to get worried, what if Calleigh had left the apartment?

"Calleigh!" he called out again as he wandered down the long hallway and let out a sigh of relief when he saw a closed door. Walking over to hit he knocked once "Calleigh?" he said again.

From the other side of the door he could hear Calleigh's soft cries and muffled shouts as she was obviously still in the throws of a flashback. He was about to open the door when he heard the clank, a clank that he recognized as a gun being lifted off of the linoleum "Calleigh don't shoot!" he called out, foolishly (Calleigh was so far gone at this point that his shouts only furthered her into the nightmare).

Throwing himself to the ground Eric winced as the breath was knocked out of him, just in time too because a single shot rang out and it wasn't his gun.

The cold metal barrel of the hospital guards gun was pressing firmly into Horatio's temple as the two men stood in the now abandoned waiting room. Tristan's hand was shaking slightly but there was a look in his eyes of pure defiance mixed with glee at the prospect of finishing his project "Do you know" he started, his voice, like his hand, shaking from lack of sleep, food and blood loss "how long Gunnar and I planned this whole thing out?"

"I don't." Horatio said, hoping to keep Tristan talking long enough for Frank to get around to the rear entrance into the ER. It had been no easy task relaying the message across to Frank but Horatio had managed it when he had placed his own gun on the ground (with the barrel distinctively pointing towards the back door).

"Thirteen years, thirteen god damned years we planned revenge. He did the first three years of it alone but then I got busted and joined him in prison."

"Why are you continuing what he started?" Horatio asked and winced slightly as the barrel moved from the temple to being shoved roughly under his jaw.

"You wanna know why Caine? I'm doing it because that bitch" he spat vehemently "took away the only person who didn't beat the shit out of me. You see growing up in the south isn't as picturesque as everyone seems to think. Being the youngest in the family puts me at the bottom of the totem pole and with seven older brothers well" he broke off "It was a living hell."

"You bonded with Gunnar." Horatio said

"Damn straight" Tristan said jabbing the gun farther into the soft flesh under Horatio's jaw "He didn't beat the crap out me when the others did. I spent more time at my aunt and uncles house then I did at my own. Then Gunnar got locked away and I had nothing left, no money to get an education with, nothing."

"That left you with plenty of time to plan your revenge."

"Exactly. At first it was going to be something simple, stupid, like robbing her house. Then I got locked up and I met up with Gunnar. Being locked in a cell for twenty hours a day left us with a lot of time to plan."

"And here you are. Gunnar's dead and you're holding a gun to a police officer's head."

"You're stalling Caine, trying to delay the inevitable. Just face the fact, you're buddy isn't gunna save you and Calleigh gunna feel real guilty when she finds out your dead. Everyone wins, well except you and Calleigh." He said and Horatio could hear the pleasure and smugness in Tristan's voice as he took the safety off the gun in his hand.

The sound of the safety clicking off the gun sent a shiver down Horatio's spine, his mind flashed to Calleigh, tears streaking down her face as she clung to his chest like he was the last honest thing in the world. He thought about all the times he had wanted to tell Calleigh he loved her, the times they had spent drinking coffee after pulling all nighters at the crime lab. His ears rung with her laugh, and he thought about the look of complete control she wore on her face when she was handling a gun.

"Any last words from the great Horatio Caine?" Tristan asked

"Not today he doesn't." said the accented voice of Frank Tripp and never before had Horatio been so glad to hear his voice.

The surprise of having a gun pressed into the back of his own head momentarily threw Tristan off and gave Horatio all the time he needed to grab the gun from Tristan's hand "Hand in the air." Horatio said and at that moment there was a crackle from one of the other officers now in the vicinity:

"_Report of a single shot fired at 3254 Monroe Ave, apartment 4f." _

Horatio froze, that was his address.

"Go." Frank said, grabbing Tristan and gesturing for Horatio to take the call.

Turning and running out of the hospital the suddenly growing panic dwarfed the pain coming from the growing bruise just under his jaw line. As he ran to the hummer he and Frank arrived in he dialed Eric's cell number.

"Delko." Eric answered on the second ring.

"Eric." Horatio said "What's going on, I'm responding to a dispatch call for a gunshot fired at my apartment."

"Shit, one of the neighbors must have called." Eric muttered

"Is Calleigh okay?" Horatio asked, his impatience growing fast as he turned on the sirens and started driving towards his apartment.

"She's locked herself in the bathroom."

Horatio's voice dropped and he asked "Why?" in a tone so low, Eric almost didn't catch it.

"She had a flashback." Eric said and waited for the question he didn't want to answer but Horatio asked it almost instantly.

"How'd it start?" he asked as he pulled up in front of his apartment and jumped out of the van. Within about one minute he was outside his apartment and he nodded to the officer's outside his door "I've got this." He said and walked in.

Eric was standing rather awkwardly on the staircase, his gun in his hand but his head shot up as Horatio entered his apartment "H, listen I'm sorry."

At this point Horatio didn't really want to hear Eric's excuses so he simply said "Where's Calleigh?"

"Down the hall, in the bathroom, careful though because she's still armed."

Nodding Horatio made his way down the hall and stood outside the bathroom door "Calleigh." He said his voice soft and reassuring "Sweetheart."

Inside the bathroom Calleigh was now somewhere in between reality and flashback but that voice, that calming voice could only belong to one person "Horatio?" she choked out, her voice quiet.

"Yes, can you open the door?" he asked gently

Calleigh moved slowly as she reached across to unlock the door, Horatio's gun slipping from her grasp as she did so. As the door swung open Horatio moved in slowly and shut the door behind him "I'm sorry." Calleigh said quietly, looking anywhere but at Horatio.

"What for?" Horatio asked, moving closer to Calleigh, making sure she didn't oppose his entering of her personal space.

"I-I-I shot at Eric." She stammered "Stetler's going to have a field day." She said and a fresh wave of tears began to roll down her face "I couldn't stop myself. One second I was back with Gunnar getting smacked around the next I was in your apartment but then I was back with Gunnar. I didn't know what was going on. Gunnar was shouting my name and Eric was shouting my name, it all became the same thing." She said in one breath before breaking down completely and loosing all composure.

"Calleigh" Horatio said, cautiously wrapping one arm around her shoulders "do not worry about Stetler, he's already being investigated for his house call earlier."

Calleigh leaned into Horatio's chest and Horatio asked "How'd the flashback start?"

She took a shaking breath and said "I was filling up the teapot to make tea and he moved in behind me. He was agitated because I was 'ignoring what happened' or something, he said that I could trust him and that's what triggered it." She took another shuddering breath "He said that to me so many times. After each time he would hit me or punch me or-or-you know, he would make it up to me, say that I could trust him."

"Eric was trying to get you to talk about it?" Horatio asked again

Calleigh nodded "As soon as you left he started trying to get me to talk about it. At first I could just ignore it, tell him to buzz off, but then I began to notice how similar he and Gunnar were. Some of the things they said, how they walked, how they are built. I couldn't help it, then he got so close and…" she trailed off, once again unable to speak coherent sentences.

Resting one hand on her back and the other running through her hair Horatio did his best to comfort Calleigh, completely aware of the occasional shivers of fear as she slipped in and out of flashbacks. At the same time he mused silently what he could say to Eric, who had so clearly been taking advantage of the situation to try and better his relationship with Calleigh. Leaning back against the wall he closed his eyes, sleep was desperately needed but right now Calleigh needed him and he needed to deal with Eric.

* * *

**I'm still getting through a bit of writers block so forgive if this chapter isn't very good. Also I will try to update as regularly as possible but the holidays are very hectic and aren't treating me very well as of right now. Thanks for reading, **

_**AllOverTheWorld **_


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